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☆ Crisis at Evergrande deepens as it misses another bond payment
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-26 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Hong Kong CNN —Evergrande Group has just missed another bond payment, casting further doubt over the future of the embattled property developer at the epicenter of China’s real estate crisis. China’s property industry once accounted for as much as 30% of the country’s gross domestic product. Questions about financial stabilityConcerns over China’s economic stability have resurfaced, driven by the deepening financial crisis at Evergrande, said Stephen Innes, managing partner of SPI Asset Management. On Sunday, Evergrande surprised investors with an announcement that it was unable to issue new notes due to the investigation into Hengda. It was the first criminal probe launched against Evergrande since it was hit by the debt crisis nearly two years ago.

Persons: Evergrande, Tao Wang, Stephen Innes, ”, Innes, Mengchen Zhang, Marc Stewart Organizations: Hong Kong CNN — Evergrande, Shenzhen Stock Exchange, Getty, China, Asia Economics, UBS, CNN, Evergrande Locations: China, Hong Kong, AFP, Asia, Evergrande

Hong Kong/Taipei CNN —China and the European Union have agreed to exchange information on export controls as part of efforts to dial down tension over trade imbalances and geopolitical issues. I am glad that we made progress in addressing some market access issues,” Valdis Dombrovskis said in a statement. Hours before meeting He on Monday, Dombrovskis said China’s trade practices have forced the European Union to become more assertive in its dealings with the world’s second largest economy. China recently slapped export curbs on two semiconductor materials in a warning shot to Europe and the United States, after they imposed restrictions on China’s access to advanced chipmaking equipment. Moscow has become increasingly dependent on Beijing since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, with trade between Russia and China soaring this year.

Persons: rebalancing, ” Valdis Dombrovskis, Dombrovskis, ”, ” Jorge Toledo, it’s, ” Dombrovskis, — Laura Organizations: Taipei CNN —, European Union, European Commission, EU, Union, Tsinghua University, China, Reuters Locations: China, Hong Kong, Taipei, Taipei CNN — China, Beijing, ”, EU, Europe, United States, Ukraine, Moscow, Russia

☆ EU trade chief promises more 'assertive' approach to China as deficit soars
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-25 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

And we will be more assertive in tackling unfairness.”The trade chief’s visit comes as tensions flare between the bloc and China over trade imbalances and geopolitical issues. The bloc’s trade deficit with China hit 396 billion euros ($421 billion) last year, which was “the highest in the history of mankind,” Jorge Toledo, the EU ambassador to China, was quoted by Reuters as saying. Dombrovskis said China’s new foreign relations law and its newly broadened counter-espionage law, in particular, were of “great concern” to European business. Two months later, it unveiled a sweeping foreign relations law enshrining its right to impose “countermeasures” against actions that it deems a threat. Russia has become increasingly dependent on China since the Kremlin ordered the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Persons: Hong Kong CNN —, Valdis Dombrovskis, “, ” Dombrovskis, ” Jorge Toledo, Dombrovskis, ”, enshrining, Vladimir Putin, — Lucas Liliholm, Manveena Suri Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Union, Tsinghua University, EU, China, Reuters, European Union, West, EU Chamber of Commerce, Kremlin Locations: China, Hong Kong, Beijing, Europe, EU, United States, Ukraine, Russia

☆ The very rich are often bad investors. Here’s why
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-25 | by ( Nicole Goodkind | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

But there are only about 730 billionaires in the country, according to Forbes, and almost none of them inherited longstanding generational wealth. In fact, less than 10% of the current list of billionaires are descended from anyone on the first Forbes’ rich list, published in 1982. If you get the “What?” decision wrong and the sizing decision right, it’s still unfortunate and you’re going to lose money. Every year there’s going to be volatility — one year you’re going to be up 35% and the next year you’re going to be down 25%, but in the long term it will even out to 5%. The current walkout came close to beating the longest strike in WGA history, a 1988 strike that lasted 154 days.

Persons: New York CNN —, Forbes, Victor Haghani, ”, James White, Haghani, LTCM, CNN’s, it’s, you’re, Cornelius Vanderbilt, Chris Isidore, Oliver Darcy, Laura He Organizations: CNN Business, Bell, New York CNN, Forbes, Elm Partners, Term Capital Management, Federal Reserve, Vanderbilt, Writers Guild, Writers Guild of America, WGA Locations: New York, United States, Russia, Hollywood, China, Beijing

☆ China Evergrande shares plummet after its debt restructuring plan runs into trouble
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-25 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Since defaulting, Evergrande has been trying to implement a government-supervised debt restructuring. The issuance of new securities a key part of that restructuring plan, involving more than $19 billion in debts held by overseas investors. It’s the first criminal probe launched against Evergrande since it was hit by the debt crisis nearly two years ago. But, late last week it acknowledged that the company’s proposed debt restructuring had hit a snag for a different reason. In an update in April, Evergrande admitted that the plan was still short of support from a key group of creditors.

Persons: Hong Kong CNN —, China —, Evergrande, —, Hengda, “ Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Real, China Securities Regulatory Commission, Evergrande Locations: China, Hong Kong, United States, Hengda, Shenzhen

☆ Shanghai, Beijing capital controls relaxed as China entices badly needed foreign investment
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-22 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Shanghai’s free trade zone is one of China’s largest and is slightly bigger than the city of Seattle. The policies are aimed at attracting foreign investment to build an open economy, the government said. Thursday’s measures are the latest effort by Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s government to woo foreign capital and stabilize ties with the West. China has made a series of moves recently to stabilize foreign trade and investment, including cutting a tax on stock trading for the first time since 2008. The latest relaxation in capital controls is part of a policy package announced by Beijing and Shanghai, the country’s two biggest cities, to facilitate foreign trade and investment.

Persons: Tesla’s Gigafactory, Stringer, Xi Jinping’s, JP Morgan, Tesla Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, HP, AstraZeneca, Getty, State Administration of Foreign Exchange, American Chamber of Commerce, People’s Bank of, HSBC Locations: China, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing, Seattle, BlackRock, AFP, People’s Bank of China, Macao, Taiwan

☆ China's gallium, germanium exports drop to zero as tech war simmers
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-21 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Hong Kong CNN —China’s exports of two rare minerals essential for manufacturing semiconductors fell to zero in August, a month after Beijing imposed curbs on sales overseas, citing national security. In July, the country exported 5.15 metric tons of forged gallium products and 8.1 metric tons of forged germanium products. The curbs are indicative of China’s apparent willingness to retaliate against US export controls, despite concerns about economic growth, as a tech war simmers. Prices for gallium have fallen in China, as export controls caused inventories to pile up. The model is powered by an advanced chip, which was created despite US sanctions intended to cut the Chinese tech giant off from such technology.

Persons: Biden Organizations: Hong Kong CNN —, Eurasia Group, China's Zhejiang University, China's Zhejiang University Hangzhou International Science, Innovation, Publishing, Shanghai Metal, Micron, Huawei, Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp, Jefferies, China Locations: China, Hong Kong, Beijing, China's Zhejiang University Hangzhou, Shanghai, United States, Japan, Netherlands, Washington

The zoo is run by the local government, which was said to be running out of money and therefore unable to feed its charges. These vehicles are legal entities created by Chinese cities to circumvent borrowing restrictions imposed by the central government in Beijing. “Why hurt small businesses which are the weakest?”Noodle sellers in Shanghai have been fined for adding cucumber to their dishes. Last year, Beijing issued a directive forbidding local governments from imposing “arbitrary fines” to generate income, and dispatched inspection teams to check that the policy was being followed. The scale of financial stress among China’s local governments is so big that “creative” sources of income can only cover a relatively small shortfall, he said.

Persons: hadn’t, Xi Jinping’s, ”, Willy Lam, Lam, “, Aly Song, Jiemian, Logan Wright, hasn’t, Li Qiang, Steve Tsang, Joseph Cheng, —, Martha Zhou Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Species Fund, CNN Local, China Newsweek, ” CNN, China National Radio, Washington, Jamestown Foundation, CNN, ”, Weibo, “, SOAS China, SOAS University of London, City University of Hong Locations: China, Hong Kong, Dongshan, Liaoning, Beijing, Shanghai, Henan, Huizhou, Nanchang, Qingdao, City University of Hong Kong

☆ China's PBOC woos foreign businesses as economic challenges grow
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-19 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

The symposium was intended to “increase financial support to help stabilize foreign trade and foreign investment” and improve the “investment environment” for foreign business, the statement said. In the first eight months of this year, foreign direct investment into China fell 5.1% from a year ago, according to data released by China’s commerce ministry on Sunday. A separate measure for foreign investment painted a grimmer picture. Companies that attended PBOC’s meeting called on Beijing to improve its business environment, its statement added. “[We] will continue to optimize policy arrangements, create a market-oriented, legal and international first-class business environment,” Pan told the companies.

Persons: Gongsheng, JP Morgan, Tesla, Gina Raimondo, ”, ” Pan Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, People’s Bank of China, HSBC, Deutsche Bank, DB, BNP, Japan’s, Bank, BASF, Schneider, State Administration of Foreign Exchange, SAFE, American Chamber of Commerce, US, Companies Locations: China, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Southeast Asia, Beijing

☆ Evergrande stock tumbles after Chinese police detain staff at its wealth management unit
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-18 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

The state-owned Shanghai Securities Journal reported that one of the detainees is the general manager and legal representative of Evergrande Wealth, citing an unnamed source. CNN has reached out to Evergrande and Evergrande Wealth for comment about the investigation, but hasn’t received a response. Of that amount, 34 billion yuan ($4.7 billion) was still unpaid by the end of last year. Multiple protestsProblems at Evergrande’s wealth unit first became widely known in August 2021, when it stopped issuing financial products due to “difficulty” in repaying them. Sayaka Nanbu/APTo appease its creditors, Evergrande Wealth subsequently proposed several repayment plans.

Persons: “ Du, hasn’t, Evergrande, Sayaka Nanbu Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Hong, Police, Evergrande, Shanghai Securities Journal, CNN, Shenzhen government’s, Evergrande’s Locations: Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Evergrande’s Shenzhen, Shanghai, United States

Brussels/London CNN —The European Union is launching an investigation into China’s state support for makers of electric vehicles as soaring imports of their cars stoke fears for the future of European auto manufacturers. “So I can announce today that the commission is launching an anti-subsidy investigation into electric vehicles coming from China.”Europe levies a duty of 10% on cars imported from China. That compares with duty of 27.5% in the United States, and China’s manufacturers have taken advantage to carve out a significant and rapidly growing foothold in the European market. And in the last five years, EU imports of Chinese cars have quadrupled. The European Commission investigation could lead to the imposition of tariffs on Chinese EV imports, and von der Leyen’s announcement rattled the stocks of China’s biggest EV companies listed in Hong Kong.

Persons: Ursula von der Leyen, “, ” von der Leyen, von der, Warren Buffett, Nio, Li Yunfei, Oliver Zipse, Luca de Meo, ”, Sigrid de Vries, Laura Organizations: London CNN, China Passenger Car Association, UBS, The, EV, European Automobile Manufacturers ’ Association, Senior, EU, Jato Dynamics, BMW, Renault, European Locations: Brussels, London, Europe, China, United States, Hong Kong

☆ Wang Bin: Chinese insurance boss sentenced to life in jail for corruption
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-13 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Hong Kong CNN —Wang Bin, the former chairman of one of China’s biggest life insurers, will spend the rest of his life in jail after a court found him guilty of corruption. Wang was accused of taking the bribes between 1997 and 2021, when he headed a number of state-owned financial institutions, including China Life Insurance, China’s Bank of Communications and China Taiping Insurance. “The amount of bribes Wang Bin accepted was particularly huge, the circumstances of the crime were particularly serious and the social impact was particularly bad,” the ruling said. He is the latest top executive to become ensnared in President Xi Jinping’s anti-corruption crackdown on the country’s $56 trillion financial sector. The sentence came more than a year after Wang, who was also the top Communist Party official at China Life, was investigated by the party’s top anti-graft agency.

Persons: Hong Kong CNN — Wang Bin, Wang, Wang Bin, Xi Jinping’s, Li Xiaopeng, Liu Liange, Bao Fan, Xi Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, China Life Insurance, China’s Bank of Communications, China Taiping Insurance, Communist Party, China, China Everbright, Bank of China Locations: China, Hong Kong, Jinan, China’s, Shandong, United States

☆ Eddie Wu: Alibaba's new CEO embraces AI and wants a younger management team
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-12 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Hong Kong CNN —Alibaba Group will embrace artificial intelligence (AI) and promote younger people to senior management, its new CEO says, as the e-commerce and cloud giant tackles its most ambitious restructuring in its history. “Times are changing, and so must Alibaba!” Eddie Wu, who stepped into the chief executive role on Sunday, said in a memo to staff seen by CNN. Wu replaced Daniel Zhang to become Alibaba (BABA)’s fourth CEO in its 24-year history. According to a plan announced in March, Alibaba will split into six separate units, including cloud, e-commerce, logistics, media and entertainment. Top tech firms around the globe have been shifting their focus to AI, including Google (GOOG), Amazon (AMZN) and Microsoft (MSFT), especially after ChatGPT took the world by storm late last year.

Persons: Eddie Wu, Wu, Daniel Zhang, ’, “, Alibaba, ChatGPT Organizations: Hong Kong CNN — Alibaba, “, CNN, Google, Microsoft Locations: China, Hong Kong

☆ Putin lauds ‘excellent’ economic ties with China. Here’s how they’ve grown
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-12 | by ( Olesya Dmitracova | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

“Relations between Russia and China in the sphere of economic cooperation have reached a very high level,” Vladimir Putin said, speaking at the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, Russia, according to Russian state-owned news agency TASS. Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said in May that he expected trade with China would top $200 billion this year. As many Western banks have reduced their presence in Russia, China’s lenders swooped in to offer banking services. Between February 2022 and March this year, the assets of Chinese banks in the country more than quadrupled to $9.7 billion, according to data collected by KSE Institute at the Kyiv School of Economics. Of China’s four biggest banks, Bank of China and the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China saw the biggest increases in their Russian assets.

Persons: ” Vladimir Putin, Mikhail Mishustin, Putin, ”, Laura He, Josh Pennington, Alex Stambaugh, Mitch McCluskey, Anna Chernova Organizations: London CNN, “, Eastern Economic, Moscow, Russian, Organization of, Petroleum, International Energy Agency, China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, KSE Institute, Kyiv School of Economics, Bank of China, Industrial, Commercial Bank of China, European Central Bank Locations: Moscow, Beijing, Russia, China, Vladivostok, Ukraine, United States, Saudi Arabia, India, wean

☆ China’s ‘Lipstick King’ tearfully apologizes after online spat highlighting country’s economic woes
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-12 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Li Jiaqi, who has 76 million followers on Taobao’s livestreaming platform, is one of the country’s biggest internet celebrities. Li Jiaqi attends a livestreaming ceremony in the Chinese city of Hangzhou on September 23, 2021. It’s easy for them celebrities to make money!” one user commented on Weibo, China’s version of X. His followers on Weibo, China’s version of X, has fallen by 1.1 million to 29.3 million since he made the comment on Sunday. Many online users questioned whether Li, a sales superstar for many years, was particularly harsh because he was simply tired and stressed out.

Persons: Li Jiaqi, Jack Ma, ”, Li, VCG, “, Li hasn’t, shouldn’t, ” “, Hu Xijin Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Alibaba, Global Times Locations: China, Hong Kong, Hangzhou, Weibo, ”

☆ Former Alibaba CEO Daniel Zhang quits cloud in surprise move amid landmark restructuring
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-11 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Hong Kong CNN —Daniel Zhang, the outgoing chairman and CEO of Alibaba, has stepped down from his position running the company’s cloud division in a surprise move announced just months after he assumed the pivotal role. Daniel Zhang, the then CEO of Alibaba, speaks at a conference in Shanghai in November 2022. Han Haidan/China News Service/Getty ImagesEddie Yongming Wu will succeed Zhang as acting chairman and CEO of its cloud unit, Alibaba said Monday. Significant restructuringIn March, Alibaba announced it would split into six separate units, including cloud, e-commerce, logistics, media and entertainment. Analysts said Zhang’s departure from the cloud business came as a surprise, but should not affect a potential IPO of the unit.

Persons: Hong Kong CNN — Daniel Zhang, Zhang, “, “ Mr Zhang, Daniel Zhang, Han Haidan, Eddie Yongming Wu, Alibaba, Joseph C Tsai, Wu, Joe Tsai, Steven Ferdman, Tsai, —, ”, ” Tsai, Jacob Cooke Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, ” Citi, Alibaba, China News Service, Cloud Intelligence Group, Paley International, Paley Museum, CNN, Brooklyn Nets, New York Liberty, South China Morning, Alibaba Group, Analysts Locations: China, Hong Kong, Shanghai, New York, Alibaba

☆ Norges Bank: Norway's $1.4 trillion investment fund is shutting its China office
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-08 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

The firm, which manages Norway’s $1.4 trillion government pension fund, is the world’s biggest single investor in the stock market. The decision to close its Shanghai office was driven by “operational considerations” and doesn’t affect the fund’s investments or its investment strategy in China, NBIM said in a statement on Thursday. There are currently eight people in the Shanghai office, the firm said. Norges Bank is the central bank of Norway. Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan, one of the world’s largest pension funds, closed its Hong Kong-based China equity investment team earlier this year.

Persons: NBIM, Odin Jaeger Organizations: Hong Kong CNN — Norges Bank Investment Management, Norges Bank, Bloomberg, Getty, Ontario, CNN, Forrester Research, Consulting Locations: China, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Asia, Singapore, Oslo, Norway, Norwegian

☆ SMIC stock plunges as US calls for further sanctions of China's top chipmaker over Huawei smartphone
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-07 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Hong Kong CNN —Shares in SMIC, China’s largest contract chipmaker, plunged on Thursday, after two US congressmen called on the White House to further restrict export sales to the company. The comments came after Huawei Technologies introduced the Mate 60 Pro, a Chinese smartphone powered by an advanced chip that is believed to have been made by SMIC. TechInsights, a research organization based in Canada specializing in semiconductors, revealed shortly after the launch that the smartphone contained a new 5G Kirin 9000s processor developed specifically for Huawei by SMIC. Gallagher was quoted as saying SMIC may have violated US sanctions, as this chip likely could not be produced without US technology. Hua Hong Semiconductor, China’s second largest chip foundry, tumbled 4.8%.

Persons: SMIC, ” Jefferies, Qilai Shen, Mike Gallagher, Gallagher, ”, Texas Republican Michael McCaul, “, Gina Raimondo, Raimondo, SMIC’s, Biden Organizations: Hong Kong CNN —, House, Huawei Technologies, Kirin, Huawei, SMIC, Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp, Bloomberg, Getty, US Commerce Department, Reuters, Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation, Hua Hong Semiconductor, Texas Republican, Foreign Affairs Committee, US, US Commerce, Huahong Semiconductor, CNN, Jefferies Locations: China, Hong Kong, SMIC, China’s, Chinese, Shanghai, United States, Canada

☆ IAA Mobility: China's automakers take the world by storm with EV push
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-07 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Leonhard Simon/Getty ImagesEven before the show kicked off, Renault chief executive Luca de Meo was on French radio talking up the rapid advances made by Chinese EV makers. Competitors worry that Chinese brands may eventually dominate the global EV market. In Europe, the top destination for China’s car exports, sales of Chinese EVs are booming. Supply chain advantageA major factor contributing to the lower cost of Chinese EVs is the country’s dominance of the EV battery supply chain. However, geopolitical tensions could complicate Chinese EV firms’ global push.

Persons: Leonhard Simon, Luca de Meo, ” de Meo, ” “, ”, Dylan Khoo, Li Yunfei, Oliver Zipse, Khoo, It’s, — Hanna Ziady, Olesya Dmitracova Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Visitors, Renault, Chinese EV, RTL Radio, China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, China Passenger Car Association, Union, UBS, Europe Auto, EV, New, Research, Deloitte, BMW, ABI Research, Jato Dynamics, “, China’s SAIC, MG, IAA, SNE Research Locations: China, Hong Kong, Munich, Germany, Chinese, Europe, Australia, Southeast Asia, Japan, Russia, New York, United States, France, British, United Kingdom, South Korean

☆ Country Garden dodges default by making last minute debt payments, state media reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-05 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

The two dollar payments come after the company won last minute support late last week from Chinese investors to delay payment of a maturing yuan-denominated bond. Country Garden, which was China’s largest residential developer by sales last year, hasn’t responded to a CNN request for comment. Shares in Country Garden, which dropped as much as 5% on Tuesday, pared losses following the publication of the media reports. It has about 31 billion yuan ($4.3 billion) in bonds set to mature through the end of 2024, according to Moody’s. The eight bonds have a total outstanding balance of 10.8 billion yuan ($1.5 billion) and are set to mature later this year, the report said.

Persons: hasn’t, Yicai Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, China Securities, CNN Locations: Hong Kong, Moody’s

☆ Country Garden stocks surge after bondholders agree to extend debt payment
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-04 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

The deal was significant, as it was the first debt extension the firm has secured since its liquidity crisis became public last month. According to the agreement with creditors, which was reported by multiple state-owned media outlets on Saturday, Country Garden will now be able to stretch its payment of the outstanding principal of $540 million into 2026. This particular bond had the largest outstanding balance that the company needed to pay out among its onshore debt in the coming year, they added. Country Garden, which was China’s largest residential developer by sales last year, is battling a cash crunch. It has about 31 billion yuan ($4.3 billion) in bonds set to mature through the end of 2024, according to Moody’s.

Persons: hasn’t, ’, Yeap Jun Rong Organizations: Hong Kong CNN — Investors, CNN, China Overseas, Southern Media Group, Huatai Securities, IG Locations: China, Hong Kong

☆ Commerce secretary says US has ‘open lines of communication’ with China
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-03 | by ( Eva Rothenberg | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —The economic relationship between the US and China is mutually beneficial and opening lines of communication is key to maintaining it, US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo told CNN’s Dana Bash on Sunday. She is the fourth cabinet member to visit China this year and the first commerce secretary to visit China in five years. China hit back earlier this summer with its own export controls on gallium and germanium, raw materials essential for producing chips. But during her China visit, Raimondo was clear the US does not want to completely decouple from China when it comes to these semiconductors and chips. “We have plenty of tools in our toolbox … export controls, outbound investment screening, tariffs, countervailing duties.

Persons: Gina Raimondo, CNN’s Dana Bash, Raimondo, ”, Biden, ” Raimondo, “, –, Laura He, Michelle Toh Organizations: CNN, US, Union, Department of, US Commerce Department Locations: China, “ State

☆ China relaxes mortgage rules to help homebuyers in latest stimulus push
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-01 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

That’s a big cut from the existing requirements of minimums of 30% and 40% for first-time and second-time buyers in cities that implement home-buying restrictions, such as Beijing and Shanghai. In addition, minimum mortgage rates for buyers of second homes should be no less than 20 basis points over the loan prime rate (LPR), the statement said. Currently, minimum mortgage rates for second-time buyers are no less than 60 basis points over the LPR. The LPR is the benchmark for most household and corporate loans in China and is set by the central bank each month. “For banks, it can effectively reduce the phenomenon of early loan repayment and mitigate the impact on banks’ interest income,” they added.

Persons: That’s Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, People’s Bank of China, National Administration of Financial Locations: Hong Kong, China, Beijing, Shanghai

☆ China PMI: Factory activity contracts for fifth straight month. Demand for services is also slowing
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Hong Kong CNN —Factory activity in China contracted for a fifth straight month in August, adding pressure on Beijing to roll out more stimulus measures to bolster the faltering economy. It was the third straight month that the index had improved from the previous month, and was better than economists were expecting. The non-manufacturing PMI, which measures business activity in services and construction, stood at 51 this month, down from 51.5 in July, according to the NBS. “The PMI surveys suggest a slight improvement in economic activity in August,” wrote analysts from Capital Economics. Some of these moves may have started to bear fruit this month, analysts said.

Persons: ”, Si Wei, Robert Carnell Organizations: Hong Kong CNN — Factory, government’s National Bureau of Statistics, PMI, NBS, Capital Economics, ING Group, Capital Locations: Hong Kong, China, Beijing, —, Lianyungang, Jiangsu province, Asia, Pacific

☆ Country Garden: China's biggest homebuilder is fighting for its life. Here's what you need to know about the real estate crisis
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Hong Kong CNN —Just a few months ago, Country Garden was the biggest property developer in China, with more than 3,000 developments spanning the country. Real estate accounts for between a quarter and third of China’s gross domestic product (GDP). A default by Country Garden or another peer could also spread to China’s wider economy and even spill over into global markets. Beijing has announced a flurry of stimulus measures to bolster the real estate sector in recent days, including easing mortgage curbs for homebuyers. This week’s news from Country Garden and Vanke suggest the crisis might not have bottomed out yet.

Persons: Hong Kong CNN —, “, ”, China Vanke, Zhu Jiusheng, Yu Liang, Yu, Evergrande Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Zhongrong, Country, National Bureau of Statistics, Kaisa, Shimao, Times Locations: Hong Kong, China, Beijing, Shenzhen, United States, Times China

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