Caixin

Residential buildings under construction by Chinese real estate developer Vanke in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, China, on 15 March 2024. (AFP)

Chinese property giant Vanke seeks more time to repay debts as market slump lingers

Chinese property giant Vanke has avoided defaulting on its publicly traded bonds so far even during the prolonged market crisis. But its balance sheet has been weakened by falling sales of new homes and fragile market sentiment, and it has resorted to offloading assets to repay its debts on time.
People walk at a shopping mall in Beijing, China, on 16 January 2024. (Pedro Pardo/AFP)

Xiaohongshu’s push to make users spend on its platform

Launched in 2013 as a place for users to share things like travel and beauty tips, and acting as a conduit for lifestyle reviews, Xiaohongshu is again reshuffling its e-commerce ventures, hoping to transform into an e-commerce platform.
China’s drugmakers are beginning to feel a thawing breeze, although not without underlying concerns. (SPH Media)

Chinese pharma turns to global deals to cure capital crunch

The uptick in recent deals and global pharmaceutical giants’ growing interests in novel drug development in China has invigorated the industry, yet not without underlying concerns.
Christian Louboutin's iconic red-soled heels. (Photo: Mark Davies)

Louboutin’s famous red-soled heels tread winding path to trademark protection in China

In 2012, Christian Louboutin shoes made their debut in the Chinese market, two years after an application to have their distinctive appearance protected under the Trademark Law sparked a legal tussle that would unfold over the ensuing decade and continues today.
Visitors throng a pedestrian shopping street in Shanghai, China, on 10 February 2024. (Nicoco Chan/Reuters)

China set for interest rate cuts to support economy

The People’s Bank of China (PBOC) left a key interest rate unchanged on 15 January, leading the country’s major lenders to keep their benchmark interest rates on hold a week later. The PBOC has been constrained in its ability to cut interest rates over concerns that such a move would drive more capital out of China in search of higher returns. Even so, analysts say the next window of opportunity for a rate cut is likely to be in March or in the next quarter.
An electronic ticker displays stock figures in Pudong's Lujiazui Financial District in Shanghai, China, on 29 January 2024. (Raul Ariano/Bloomberg)

Private equity in China heads for exits amid three-year stock slump

China ended 2023 with the world’s worst-performing equity market as the blue-chip CSI 300 Index fell for the third straight year, plunging 35% over 36 months, making it difficult for private equity and venture capital firms to exit their investments. How will these firms deal with the country's stock slump?
Buildings in Pudong's Lujiazui Financial District in Shanghai, China, on 29 January 2024. (Raul Ariano/Bloomberg)

China’s three-year stock slump resists policy prescriptions for rebound

China ended the year with the world’s worst-performing equity market and its blue-chip CSI 300 Index down for the third straight year, losing 35% over 36 months. Amid different approaches to stabilising the stock market, several economists think that the key is to formulate appropriate policies and promoting necessary structural reforms to help get the economy back on track to its potential growth rate.
Gantry cranes at the Yantian International Container Terminals in Shenzhen, China, on 16 January 2024. (Qilai Shen/Bloomberg)

How can China deal with deflationary pressure?

Although the Chinese economy showed some signs of recovery in 2023, prices have not improved in tandem, with key economic indicators signalling a persistent decline. This has served to deepen fears of deflation and sparked calls for more supportive policy measures.
Transmission lines pass in front of the construction site of Shenmu Shenxin power station, a coal-fired power plant, in Shenmu, Shaanxi province, China, on 20 November 2023. (Colleen Howe/Reuters)

China’s ambitious clean energy development raises questions on efficiency

The expansion of renewable energy in China has been driven by the government’s 2020 pledge to reach peak carbon dioxide emissions by 2030 and become carbon neutral by 2060. But the reshaping of a new energy order still has a long way to go.