Debt fears swirling around state giant shine a light on China’s post-property reality

As concerns over the financial health of a state-owned conglomerate rattled China’s bond market over the past week, analysts said its challenges reflected the lasting toll of the country’s prolonged property crisis, with local governments struggling to find sustainable alternatives beyond real estate to support their economies. At the centre of the storm is Zhuhai Huafa Group, the largest local government-owned enterprise in Zhuhai in southern China’s Guangdong province. While property...