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Embattled developer Kaisa Group to resume construction at project in Foshan after receiving funds held in escrow accounts

  • Kaisa has pledged to resume construction at a project in the southern city after funds held in escrow accounts were returned to it
  • It follows reports that China is drafting rules to make it easier for developers to access funds from sales still held in escrow accounts

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Kaisa pledged to resume construction at its project in Foshan. Photo: Reuters
Martin Choi
Embattled Chinese developer Kaisa Group has pledged to resume construction at a project in Foshan in the southern province of Guangdong after funds held in escrow accounts were returned to it.
The development comes hot on the heels of reports last week that China was moving to ease a severe crash crunch in the property sector, giving developers much-needed breathing space.

“After friendly negotiations with the government and regulatory banks, the presale payments [for the project] have been returned and will be used for resumption of work and production of the project,” Kaisa Foshan said in a statement on its official WeChat account on Monday.

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“Our company will make every effort to ensure that the project is delivered on time!”

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Reuters reported last Wednesday that China was drafting nationwide rules to make it easier for property developers to access funds from sales still held in escrow accounts.

The new rules would help developers meet their debt obligations, pay suppliers and finance operations by letting them use the funds in escrow that are currently controlled by municipal governments with no central oversight. The Reuters report cited four people with knowledge of the matter.

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While Chinese developers are allowed to sell residential projects before completing them, they are required to put the proceeds in escrow accounts.

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