Hong Kong CNN —A major Chinese property company has suspended offshore debt payments, deepening turmoil in the beleaguered sector. Property sales by floor area dropped 7.1% in the January to August months, compared to the first eight months of 2022. On Thursday, Moody’s downgraded its outlook for the overall sector, citing a downturn in residential sales and continued jitters about the health of the industry. In June and July, nationwide property sales fell around 20% compared to the same period a year before, it said in a report. This reversed “the 11.9% growth for the first five months, reflecting renewed weakness in residential property,” the agency added.

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Persons: Houlihan Loukey, Sidley Austin, Moody’s, — CNN’s Juliana Liu Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Hong, National Bureau, Statistics, China SCE Group Locations: China, Hong Kong, Sino, Beijing