BEIJING - The People's Bank of China will actively guard against systemic risks in the financial sector, said central bank governor Zhou Xiaochuan Wednesday.

"We should pay close attention to latent risks and defuse them in advance," Zhou told a central bank meeting.

"On the basis of national financial security, we will steadily open China's financial sector wider to the world," said the governor.

The PBOC on the same day released an annual report, reiterating its prudent monetary policy.

"The central bank will continue to improve its instrument mix and try to maintain a proper liquidity growth in 2015," said the PBOC report.