Some investors in a troubled trust fund in China are facing financial ruin under a government plan to return a fraction of their money, casualties of a slump in the property industry and a broader economic slowdown. Sichuan Trust, headquartered in the southwest city of Chengdu, announced it was insolvent in 2020, stricken by sketchy accounting and failed investments in shopping malls and other projects. A deadline earlier this month to accept a 20%-60% haircut or loss on their investments has left some investors in deep financial trouble, according to public announcements and AP interviews with five people affected. China's economy, the world's second largest, depends heavily on real estate development to drive growth and create jobs. Property prices and sales have languished after a crackdown on what leaders viewed as dangerous levels of borrowing, causing dozens of developers to default on their debts. At the National People's Congress session in Beijing last week, officials pledg
China will pursue a "proactive national strategy in response to population aging," the reports said
The upbeat results, however, contrasted with an official survey released earlier in the day showing factory activity contracted for a fifth straight month
China resumed publication this year, excluding college students from the data, to put youth unemployment at 14.9% in December
The Politburo also pledged to speed up development of 'new productive forces,' a vague new slogan favored by Xi that refers to fresh engines of economic growth
For India, a currency common with China is a big anathema, primarily because of the adversarial position Beijing has pursued politically and economically with India, which has only hardened
Chinese shares gyrated on Monday, sinking to 5-year lows, after stock market regulators sought to reassure jittery investors with a promise to crack down on stock price manipulation and malicious short selling. Shares in Shanghai and the smaller market in Shenzhen, near Hong Kong, swung between big losses and small gains throughout the day. The markets have languished on heavy selling of property shares that have suffered with a slump in the real estate market. Market observers said there were signs the authorities had, as is often the case, ordered big institutional investors to step up buying of state-owned banks and other heavyweights. The Industrial & Commercial Bank of China gained 2.3%, Bank of China was up 2.6% and the Agricultural Bank of China rose 2.2%. But shares still mostly lost ground. The Shenzhen Component index lost 1.1% after dipping as much as 4.4%. The Shanghai Composite index shed 1% to 2,702.19, having lost 3.5% earlier. Wilder swings were seen in the CSI ...
One divergence centers around Beijing's investment data, which shows surging manufacturing and infrastructure spending outweighed the drag from property
Secretary of State Antony Blinken met a senior Chinese diplomat on Friday, as the Biden administration seeks to mitigate tensions over Taiwan as the island holds its presidential election. Blinken sat down with Liu Jianchao, the Chinese Communist Party's international minister. Hours later, he met with Yoko Kamikawa, the foreign minister of Japan, one of the United States' strongest allies in Asia. The Biden administration is seeking to keep down tensions in the Taiwan Strait if the governing Democratic Progressive Party, known to lean toward independence, should prevail in Saturday's election. Beijing, which considers Taiwan to be part of Chinese territory, has suggested to voters that they could be choosing between peace and war. The U.S. is not supporting any candidate in Taiwan's presidential election and plans to send an unofficial delegation to the island shortly after the election. In addition to Taiwan, Blinken and Kamikawa discussed the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East
Forecast of higher demand come amid industrial slowdown fears in China
Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Sunday that China's economy has become "more resilient and dynamic than before" as he vowed to consolidate and strengthen the momentum of economic recovery and work to achieve long-term economic development. "We have gone through the test of winds and rains, have seen beautiful scenes unfolding on the way, and have made plenty of real achievements. We will remember this year as one of hard work and perseverance. Going forward, we have full confidence in the future, Xi said in his 2024 New Year message. Xi said that as China achieved a smooth transition in COVID-19 response efforts, its economy has sustained the momentum of recovery, and steady progress has been made in pursuing high-quality development in the outgoing year, state-run Xinhua news agency reported. "Having weathered the storm, the Chinese economy is more resilient and dynamic than before, he said. Xi said that while pursuing its development, China has also embraced the world and ..
The median forecast in a Bloomberg survey of economists also calls for a 3.9% increase in average hourly earnings from a year earlier, the smallest annual gain since mid-2021
China's economy has struggled this year as a rebound from restrictive Covid Zero policies proved to be weaker than expected and the property crisis deepened
"The 2024 deficit ratio is set to be 3% and the insufficient part can be supplemented by special sovereign debt," one of the sources said
To compound the issue, China, the world's second-largest economy, is already slowing down and grappling with a crisis in its real estate market
With China witnessing repeated outbreaks of respiratory ailments, India can position itself as a global manufacturing hub by enhancing its supply chain capabilities and investing in healthcare infrastructure, think tank GTRI said in a report. India can leverage its workforce and manufacturing potential in sectors like mobile phones and laptops, the Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI) said. According to the report, China has experienced several outbreaks due to close human-animal contact, including COVID-19 (2019), H7N9 bird flu (2013), H5N6 bird flu (2014), and H10N3 bird flu (2021). While these outbreaks had varying impacts, COVID-19 notably escalated into a global pandemic. These outbreaks, especially COVID-19, have prompted a reevaluation of global supply chains and reliance on China for manufacturing. Businesses are considering alternatives like reshoring or diversifying supply sources to mitigate risks. "India is positioned to benefit from this trend by enhancing its supp
Fitch blamed China for pulling down the estimate of 10 emerging countries to 4 per cent from 4.3 per cent earlier
JPMorgan's managing director of Asia Pacific equity research, James Sullivan, said that India's GDP will double to $7 trillion by 2030
As the island nation recovers, India's goodwill gesture has helped it regain some of the ground lost to China
The commerce ministry's investigation arm DGTR has initiated a probe to review the need to continue the anti-dumping duty on aluminium alloy wheels imported from China, following complaints from the domestic industry. Kosei Minda Aluminium Company, Maxion Wheels Aluminium India, Minda Kosei Aluminium Wheel, and Steel Strips Wheels have filed an application on behalf of the domestic industry for initiation of sunset review investigation for continued imposition of anti-dumping duty levied on imports of 'aluminium alloy road wheel' exported from China. DGTR in a notification has said the applicants have submitted prima facie evidence of dumping of the product from China in spite of the existing anti-dumping duties. "The authority hereby initiates sunset review investigation to examine whether the expiry of existing anti-dumping duties against China is likely to lead to continuation or recurrence of dumping and consequent injury to the domestic industry," the notification said. As per