Today
China tries to stem mortgage boycott with developer loans
Home buyers have stopped paying mortgages on at least 100 projects across 50 cities.
- Qilai Shen
- Analysis
- Analysis
China is pariah for global investors as policies backfire
Money managers once enticed by China’s juicy yields and huge tech companies now say reasons to avoid the country outweigh incentives to buy.
- Sofia Horta e Costa
This Month
China’s growth slows sharply as COVID-19 policy takes a toll
Beijing’s economic growth plunged to 0.4 per cent over a year earlier in the latest quarter, after Shanghai and other cities were shut down to fight COVID-19.
- Updated
- Malcolm Scott
China in crisis meeting with banks on mortgage boycotts
Reports of rapidly escalating refusals to pay mortgages have sparked losses in Chinese bank shares, reflecting concerns that the property crisis may spread to the financial system.
- Bloomberg News
- Opinion
- Opinion
What’s behind the Chinese bank runs?
The turmoil suggests Beijing is struggling to find a solution for the increasing number of soured property loans on the books of smaller, regional lenders.
- Karen Maley
China reimposes COVID-19 curbs as subvariant spreads
Shanghai, home to 25 million people, is bracing for another round of mass testing in the commercial hub.
- Roxanne Liu and Ryan Woo
Australian envoy met with senior Chinese official amid renewed tensions
Top Chinese official meets Australian ambassador in the latest signs of a diplomatic thaw
- Updated
- Michael Smith
Biden administration split on removing China tariffs
Some officials hope the move could ease inflation, but others fear a political backlash in an election year.
- Demetri Sevastopulo
China coal: fat margins for producers as green energy pauses
The rest of the world’s aversion to buying Russian coal just means plentiful, cheaper sales for China.
- The Lex Column
Xi defends Hong Kong clampdown as new leader sworn in
China’s president swore in Hong Kong’s new leader at a ceremony marking 25 years since the end of British rule.
- Michael Smith
Game over for Hong Kong’s democracy dreams
Xi Jinping’s arrival for the 25th handover anniversary cements Beijing’s control over the former British colony. Businesses want stability, but residents are fuming.
- Michael Smith
After China’s gruelling lockdowns, it’s all about the exit strategy
Trapped in a web of unpredictable and chaotic lockdown rules, many Chinese are now dreaming of a permanent escape.
- Edward White and Eleanor Olcott
June
Xi Jinping arrives in Hong Kong for handover anniversary
Xi Jinping’s arrival in Hong Kong for the 25th handover anniversary cements Beijing’s control over the city after a turbulent three years.
- Michael Smith
Why China’s economy is going backwards
Beijing’s economic performance in 2021-22 is almost a reverse of Australia’s, after a robust first half gave way to crippling lockdowns and supply chain chaos.
- Michael Smith
China halves quarantine in major COVID-19 policy shift
China is halving hotel quarantine for arrivals to seven days in the first easing of Xi Jinping’s tight border controls imposed at the start of the pandemic.
- Michael Smith
- Opinion
- Opinion
Cracks appear in China’s recovery story
The effects from the turmoil in the country’s property market are thwarting Beijing’s efforts to boost the economy by encouraging more infrastructure spending.
- Karen Maley
Xi Jinping shores up power ahead of Hong Kong visit
China’s president is further cementing his power with a security reshuffle and another corruption crackdown ahead of the party congress later this year.
- Michael Smith
China’s housing love affair hangs by a thread
Beijing is looking to spend its way out of a post-pandemic economic downturn, but for the first time in decades the country’s obsession with housing is showing signs of waning.
- Michael Smith
- Opinion
- Opinion
China’s dilemma: who will pick up the tab for infrastructure spending?
Even though Chinese president Xi Jinping has pledged to meet economic targets, economists are sceptical that the Chinese economy can grow 5.5 per cent this year.
- Karen Maley
Beijing caps coal prices to stave off blackouts
China is trying to stave off widespread power outages this summer by ensuring generators have access to cheap coal. But with demand soaring some traders are breaching price caps.
- Michael Smith
