Housing

People walk through an underpass in Beijing on 22 March 2023. (Wang Zhao/AFP)

Will China's economy suffer a 'lost decade' just like Japan?

Pondering the possibility that China’s economy is going the way of Japan's 30 years ago, Japanese researcher Toshiya Tsugami analyses some similarities and differences between the two trajectories.
Pedestrains on a street in Shanghai, China, 30 January 2023. (Qilai Shen/Bloomberg)

Uneven recovery ahead for China’s economy

Optimism over China's economic outlook may be rising, but its recovery is uneven, with different industries experiencing different levels of rebound. Furthermore, can Chinese authorities ensure a better business environment and greater transparency, as well as policy consistency and guarantee of the rule of law, to attract back businesses and investors?
Men work at a construction site of apartment buildings in Beijing, China, 15 July 2022. (Thomas Peter/File Photo/Reuters)

China’s property companies going bust may be a common sight in 2023

Chinese academic Yi Xianrong remarks that while the Chinese government had emphasised stability for the property sector in recent years, the market was in dire straits in 2022, marked by abysmal sales and financial figures and rock-bottom consumer confidence. Faced with these tough challenges, the Chinese government has made significant changes to its real estate policies this year. But it will not be a smooth road ahead to drive the transformation of the ailing sector.
Shanghai, China, on 3 January 2023. (Qilai Shen/Bloomberg)

China’s road to economic recovery faces post-Covid speed bumps

With China's policy pendulum finally swinging from stamping out and controlling the spread of the virus towards spurring economic growth, how will its economy perform in 2023?
Pedestrians and motorcyclists along a road near the Bund in Shanghai, China, on 30 November 2022. (Qilai Shen/Bloomberg)

Will China get its economy back on track in 2023?

While China’s prospects for better economic performance in 2023 are bright, says NUS academic Xu Le, the road to economic recovery is expected to be bumpy.
Attendees ahead of a "First Tool-In" ceremony at the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. facility under construction in Phoenix, Arizona, US, on 6 December 2022. (Caitlin O'Hara/Bloomberg)

Will TSMC’s American plant lead to an exodus of semiconductor talents from Taiwan?

TSMC’s new facility in Arizona, US, is set to begin production in 2024, with a second facility underway. The company’s US$40 billion investment is a first in many ways and marks a major shift in the global semiconductor industry. But TSMC has made conservative remarks about the move, and the new plant has also roused much concern from the Taiwanese.
Residential buildings under construction in Shanghai, China, on 9 November 2022. (Qilai Shen/Bloomberg)

China lines up yet more aid for the property sector, but will it be enough?

Caixin notes that China is poised to roll out more policies to assist developers in an increasingly desperate attempt to arrest a protracted downturn of the multi-trillion-dollar property sector. However, amid the perform storm of changing demographics, Covid-19 disruptions, weakening demand and Beijing’s campaign of deleveraging, industry practitioners are bracing for a tough battle.
A building under construction in Shenzhen, China, on 19 November 2022. (Qilai Shen/Bloomberg)

Can China save its property market and economy amid fastest-spreading outbreak to date?

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?
This photo taken on 13 July 2022, shows a housing complex under construction in Dongguan, in China's southern Guangdong province. (Jade Gao/AFP)

China’s overreliance on land finance could lead to its downfall

Retired economist Zeng Yongchang shares his views on China’s land finance policies — while quick and efficient, land finance is unsustainable, as evidenced by the widening inequality, intensifying social conflicts and dire economic situation.