Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
'Empty houses everywhere'
Empty houses everywhere': Former Chinese official's rare public critique on China's economy
Despite having a population of 1.4 billion, China would not be enough to fill all the empty apartments littered across the country, a former official said in a rare public critique of the country's crisis-hit property market, reported Hindustan Times.
According to data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), the combined floor area of unsold homes stood at 648 million square metres at the end of August 2023.
This equals to almost 7.2 million homes based on the average home size of 90 square metres, news agency Reuters reported, adding that numerous residential projects have already been sold but not yet completed due to cash-flow problems.
"How many vacant homes are there now? Each expert gives a very different number, with the most extreme believing the current number of vacant homes are enough for 3 billion people," He Keng, a former deputy head of the statistics bureau, said.
This equals to almost 7.2 million homes based on the average home size of 90 square metres, news agency Reuters reported, adding that numerous residential projects have already been sold but not yet completed due to cash-flow problems.
"How many vacant homes are there now? Each expert gives a very different number, with the most extreme believing the current number of vacant homes are enough for 3 billion people," He Keng, a former deputy head of the statistics bureau, said.
https://www.livemint.com/economy/empty-houses-everywhere-former-chinese-officials-rare-public-critique-on-chinas-economy-11695490817823.html
See also: Even China's 1.4 billion population can't fill all its vacant homes, former official says
Chinese investors scramble to offload overseas property portfolios
Property used to be the most favoured investment for Chinese people engaged in wealth accumulation, when it promised rapid and steady economic growth. Small apartments and condos in Southeast Asia, especially Thailand, were a popular choice for the Chinese middle classes in the late 2010s due to affordability and geographic proximity.
But a number of them can no longer afford the final payment for their property investment and desperately need cash to solve their domestic financial problems, such as business failures, lay-offs and mortgage loan defaults, he said. Some no longer have the extra funds to continue holding these overseas properties.
https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3235448/chinese-investors-scramble-sell-overseas-properties-amid-shaky-economic-conditions
InfoView thread info, including edit history
TrashPut this thread in your Trash Can (My DU » Trash Can)
BookmarkAdd this thread to your Bookmarks (My DU » Bookmarks)
2 replies, 2021 views
ShareGet links to this post and/or share on social media
AlertAlert this post for a rule violation
PowersThere are no powers you can use on this post
EditCannot edit other people's posts
ReplyReply to this post
EditCannot edit other people's posts
Rec (4)
ReplyReply to this post
2 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight:
NoneDon't highlight anything
5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
'Empty houses everywhere' (Original Post)
BlueWavePsych
Sep 2023
OP
marybourg
(12,631 posts)1. And we have the opposite problem.
Martin68
(22,801 posts)2. This article focuses on an inability of investors to finish making payments on the residences
they've contracted to buy. The bigger problem has been the fact that many people prepaid for homes, apartments and condominiums that are now not going to be completed because construction companies haver gone bankrupt. Not only will they not be able to move into the real estate they bought, they will also not get their money back.