Property market

Zaobao correspondent Yang Danxu takes a look at China’s ailing property market and the various measures taken by property companies and the authorities to boost sales and ensure that homes are completed and handed over to buyers. While the intention is good, will they work under the current Covid-19 situation?

With China’s economy already facing drags from consumer spending and the real estate sector, the slowdown in goods exports poses a significant problem as they make up a sizeable share of the country's GDP. Will Beijing reconsider some of the policies such as its zero-Covid policy, tech sector crackdown, and restrictions on real estate?

China's central bank is scrambling to increase demand for borrowing by using nearly every instrument in its toolbox. But the impact has so far been limited, as Chinese companies and households are trapped in a crisis of confidence in the economy amid slowing growth and the impact of strict anti-Covid measures. What more can China do to save the economy?

Recent news of a large-scale housing project acquisition by a state-owned enterprise (SOE) has gained widespread attention. While some are welcoming the government’s efforts to revive the sluggish property market, others are wary of profiteering and corruption opportunities. Zaobao correspondent Chen Jing takes a look at the implications of the SOE’s move and whether China’s property market will finally look up.

Amid the difficulties in analysing and forecasting macroeconomic conditions, economist Chen Kang likens their changes to a unique game of tug of war between the bulls and the bears — in which economic reforms, policies and outcomes are interpreted differently among the players, and the current outcome encapsulates the people’s aggregate response. However, the big question is whether China will press on with economic reforms despite all the challenges. This is the third in a five-part series of articles on the future of China.

Zaobao journalist Tai Hing Shing looks at the recent drop in Hong Kong’s property prices and asks: will the Hong Kong government take any measures to make sure the market remains stable, or allow the market to regulate itself?

While China has yet to emerge from the shadow of the Covid-19 pandemic and its ailing real estate sector, power shortages caused by severe weather conditions are adding to its woes. Zaobao correspondent Yang Danxu tells us more about the severity of the power crunch, and its far-reaching impact across regions and industries.

In the wake of US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s controversial visit to Taiwan and the mainland’s retaliatory actions in the Taiwan Strait, researcher Wei Da believes that China-US rivalry has transformed in three ways: political confrontation is becoming more ideological and acute; military confrontation is becoming more symbolic; and further decoupling of major economic and trade initiatives may reach a critical point.

Zaobao correspondent Yang Danxu notes that China is facing multiple headwinds that are making its economic recovery all the more elusive. From dealing with incessant Covid-19 outbreaks to the real estate crisis, economic recovery has become a dire political issue, especially with the impending 20th Party Congress to be held later this year.