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China property

China property
China’s property market has surged in recent years. After prices jumped 25 per cent in 2009 alone, the central government imposed austerity measures, including lending curbs, higher mortgage rates and restrictions on the number of homes each family can buy.
Sino Land’s La Mirabelle project sold 595 units over the past three weeks, generating more than HK$5.2 billion. Photo: Jelly Tse
Hong Kong property

Hong Kong real estate gains as Middle East tensions rattle Dubai market

Early signs of capital inflows and tenant movement emerge as Dubai property softens and investors rethink regional bets.

Hong Kong

Will AI job fears hurt China’s housing market as they have in the US and India?

Property policies

Tycoon Pan Shiyi slams China property ‘Ponzi’ as Evergrande boss pleads guilty

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China GDP

China’s economic boom masks Iran war slowdown

Growth in China accelerated in the first quarter of the year as a January-February surge offset a slower March following the shutdown of the Strait of Hormuz.

China retail sales missed expectations in March. Photo: EPA

Video | China’s struggling home furnishing industry

Company officials and analysts anticipate that thousands of businesses will be forced out of the highly competitive home furnishing sector this year.

Shenzhen

New home prices in China’s biggest cities record first rise in 10 months

Shanghai leads, and also records strong second-hand sales, but analysts hesitate to declare overall market stabilisation.

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China GDP

China beats expectations with 5% growth in first GDP release since Iran war

‘Stronger than expected’ growth figure indicates minimal impact from the conflict and a low likelihood for near-term stimulus, analysts said.

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A coil of copper is moved at an electrical materials factory in Dongyang, Zhejiang province, on Tuesday. Photo: AFP
China Evergrande Group

Founder of China’s Evergrande Group Hui Ka-yan pleads guilty in fraud trial

Milestone in downfall of company that was once the world’s largest developer is unlikely to move the market, analysts say.

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Mainland China

Shanghai home sales hit 5-year high in spring surge, outlook stays fragile

Geopolitical tensions weigh on ‘durability of the recovery’, analyst says, as gains expected to diverge across cities and segments.

China’s private sector

China’s tea-drink shops thirst for profits as price wars dry up prospects

‘I am learning a hard lesson of how involution can destroy my business,’ a Shanghai shop operator says.

Tea-drink sales grew 6.4 per cent in 2025, a sharp drop from annualised growth of more than 20 per cent over the past two decades. Photo: Shutterstock
Asia housing and property

As I see it | Helpful analysts predict China property recovery now, soon and much later

While some economists draw parallels with Japan’s ‘lost decade’, others note key differences when it comes to China’s sluggish recovery.

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A woman walks through a residential compound in Shanghai on January 20. Photo: AFP
China consumption

China’s luxury spending seen boosting global sales in 2026 despite headwinds

Affluent Chinese consumers are expected to splurge, though a volatile property market and oil price shocks pose challenges, analysts say.

Asia housing and property

From ghost to giant: long skyscraper saga nears finish amid China property woes

Once deemed a ‘ghost tower’ and a benchmark of unfinished projects, the 596-metre building’s state-backed revival reflects efforts to rebuild confidence in fragile market.

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China energy security

Open Questions | Iran war to test China’s self-reliance, Goldman Sachs economist says

Andrew Tilton, Goldman’s chief Asia-Pacific economist, on Iran conflict’s impacts, why exports continue to drive China’s growth and an end to its housing slump.

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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen
China economy

Opinion | Reinflate the property sector? No, China wants an ambitious redesign

Beijing is attempting a difficult pivot: transforming real estate from a debt-driven growth engine into a pillar of a consumption-led economy.

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Flats under construction in Nanjing, Jiangsu province, in eastern China on February 13. Photo: AFP
Hong Kong property

Mainland China, Hong Kong premium office supply to peak as demand lags: Cushman

Weak absorption reflects cautious corporate leasing amid global uncertainties, but Cushman expects gradual recovery as new sectors expand.

Mainland China

Top Chinese developers’ losses mount as debt overhaul props up operations

Analysts say subdued demand and cautious buyers persist, with one-off debt restructuring masking deeper losses in the sector.

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China economy

Rising second-hand home sales offer signs China’s property slump is bottoming out

Increased resale activity, driven by first-time buyers and policy support, is fuelling hopes that China’s property market may be stabilising.

In Shanghai, about 22,000 second-hand homes changed hands between March 1 and 23, up 170 per cent from the same period a month earlier. Photo: Getty Images
Mainland China

Opinion | China’s property pivot: from growth engine to protected household asset

Social and economic stability is now the key focus as Beijing works to preserve households’ property asset wealth against developers’ debt.

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US-China relations

As China’s property downturn grinds on, foreign suppliers strive to adapt

US lift giant Otis is riding a growing trend for retrofitting older buildings in China, as new construction projects remain thin on the ground.

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Banking & finance

Opinion | Why a global private-credit meltdown would hit China hard

It could leave emerging economies scrambling for financing just as their repayment obligations to Chinese lenders mount.

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People wait to cross a road in Beijing on March 6. A private-credit crisis could prompt a wave of restructuring of loans due to China, complicating its efforts to counter a structural downturn. Photo: AFP
Mainland China

China’s Country Garden set to post up to US$320 million profit after debt revamp

The developer – once China’s largest home builder by sales – poised to swing from US$5 billion loss in 2024 to profit in 2025 on debt deal.

A Country Garden project in Beijing. Photo: Kyodo
Hong Kong property

Hong Kong’s Henderson Land trims payout as Iran, mainland China cloud outlook

Kerry Properties also reports mixed 2025 results amid lift in Hong Kong home sales, weak office market and sluggish China recovery.

Mainland China

Shanghai joins major cities in loosening commercial property loan rules

Beijing remains the lone top-tier holdout as other cities ease their down payment requirements.

Guangzhou

China’s first-tier home prices stabilise in February after a 9-month decline

Annual price declines deepen nationwide, with policy support and supply reforms seen as key to recovery.

Apartment blocks under construction in Nanjing, in China’s eastern Jiangsu province. Mainland China’s first-tier new home prices were unchanged month on month in February, ending a nine-month decline. Photo: AFP
China GDP

China’s economy starts 2026 strongly as retail sales, investment rise

Before the Iran energy crisis and latest round of China-US trade talks, retail spending grew 2.8 per cent while fixed-asset investment increased 1.8 per cent.

People shop at a duty-free shopping mall in Sanya, south China’s Hainan province, on December 18, 2025. Photo: Xinhua
Electric & new energy vehicles

China mall shuffle: as EVs exit, who’s filling the ground-floor showrooms?

New demand for mall space comes from brands riding fresh trends, including Unitree Robotics, Pop Mart and Lululemon.

Hong Kong property

Hong Kong buyers snap up most of 360 flats at 2 projects as confidence returns

Buyers snapped up most units on sale, even though one agent said the Middle East conflict was ‘like a bucket of cold water’ on demand.

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