China is evaluating measures which would make it easier for citizens to invest abroad, as Beijing seeks to diversity its US$3.2 trillion in foreign-exchange reserves, The Wall Street Journal reported. The State Administration of Foreign Exchange (SAFE) is considering increasing the amount of foreign currency individuals can purchase per year from the current US$50,000 equivalent. Raising the quota would be a step towards opening China’s capital account, which is tightly controlled to maintain a loosely pegged exchange rate. Recently investors have put downward pressure on the yuan, as growth for 2012 is expected to slow. The recent ups and down in yuan trading may represent a maturing market, and “should serve as a very good condition for us to reasonably open the capital account,” said Li Daokui, an adviser to the People’s Bank of China.