Even with the US$9.2 billion sale of its stake in Ping An Insurance, HSBC will have US$10 billion worth of holdings in Chinese banks, thus retaining a foothold in the country, analysts say. "HSBC isn't taking its eye off of China. They are walking a tight rope, wanting to book profits on Ping An while at the same time not wanting to appear to be less committed to China," said Sandy Mehta, the Hong Kong-based chief executive officer of Value Investment Principals.