In this study, we address three research questions associated with the IFRS adoption in
China: 1) Is the earnings quality under the old China accounting standards (CAS) different
from that of the new IFRS-based CAS? 2) Is the reduction or the lack of improvement in
earnings quality under the new CAS, if there is any, related to the extensive use of fair value,
a key change in accounting practices in China as a result of the IFRS adoption? 3) Is the lack
of value-relevance of fair-value-based earnings components, if there is any, purely driven by
noise in an immature market or a result at least partially of earnings management?
Using data from 2006, a year prior to IFRS adoption, we find that the combined
value-relevance of earnings and book value under the new CAS is lower than that under the
old CAS. Individually, earnings are less value relevant but book value is more value relevant
under the new CAS. We also find that accounting accruals under the old CAS map into
operating cash flows in contemporaneous and adjacent periods better than accruals under the
new CAS. Overall, these results suggest that IFRS rules reduce earnings quality in China.