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Massive Price Reduction on Pre-Owned Houses Is Expected

The week of May 1 (China’s Labor Day) used to be one of the hottest real estate sales weeks. However, this year, the sales volumes of both new houses and pre-owned houses have been low. For example, among the largest four cities with the highest housing prices in China, only 13,928 pre-owned housing units were sold in Beijing in April, a drop of 37 percent from the 22,192 units in March. Shanghai dropped by 27 percent and Guangzhou and Shenzhen were down by 14 percent and 19 percent, respectively.

On the other hand, a number of pre-owned housing units have kept coming on the market. Shanghai has around 200,000 units listed for sale. Approximately 13,000 units have been added each week for the past two months. However, only 17,000 units were sold in the entire month of April.

China had 606,000 foreclosed housing units auctioned off in 2022, an increase of 35.7 percent from 2021. Unlike the U.S. where a person can stop makjng payments on his mortgage and owe the bank nothing after declaring bankruptcy, Chinese law says that even if a person chooses to declare  bankruptcy or stop making payments on his mortgage, he is still liable for the remaining debt. Therefore, once a person is unable to make his mortgage payment, not only does he lose the down payment on his house as well as the subsequent payments, but he still has to pay the remaining debt and will be put on many spending restrictions until he clears his debt. This tough law gives people a great incentive to sell their house instead  of declaring bankruptcy if they do not want to continue their mortgage payments. China announced on April 25 that it implemented a nationwide real estate registration. Many people felt this was a step to prepare for adopting a real estate property tax, which is bad news to those who own many properties.

The “landlord tax” even came out faster than the property tax. Three provinces including Hebei, Hunan, and Yunan piloted the tax last year. The government will collect a 10 percent tax on rent if an individual rents out part of his own residence and 20 percent tax on rent from a non-residence.

All these factors will drive more people to sell their houses. A price reduction is unavoidable.

Source: VCT News, May 15, 2023
https://vct.news/news/f26f9d83-7acb-4ebc-99dc-88c82ffb3bd1

Briefings | | |   @CS Economy/Resources

Population Decline in China’s Major Cities Sparks Response from Official Media

China’s state-run newspaper, People’s Daily, has recently published articles addressing the country’s population issues in the wake of negative population growth in major cities like Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen.

In the first article titled “Comprehensively Understanding and Correctly Viewing the New Situation of China’s Population Development,” the author, who goes by the pen name Zhongyin, notes that China’s aging population will become a permanent reality and that it is a global problem faced by many developed countries. The article stresses that China should focus on developing high-quality human resources to support its modernization process.

The second article, titled, “Focusing on Improving the Overall Quality of the Population”, emphasizes the need to improve the overall quality of China’s population while striving to maintain a moderate birth rate and population size. It suggests that China should create a modern human resources system with high-quality and abundant resources that are optimally distributed.

These articles highlight the challenges faced by China due to its aging population, declining birth rates, and the need to develop high-quality human resources.

Source: Central News Agency (Taiwan), May 16, 2023
https://www.cna.com.tw/news/acn/202305160355.aspx

Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources

Chinese Dissidents Protested at the Chinese Embassy in Finland; The Embassy Falsely Accused them and had them Arrested

Two Chinese exiled dissidents protested in front of the Chinese Embassy in Finland and were subsequently arrested and detained for two days after the embassy staff reported them to the police for “multiple serious crimes.”

Last Friday, Wang Jingyu arrived in Finland and joined another exiled dissident, Zhao Yunting, in protesting in front of the Chinese Embassy. The embassy filed a complaint stating that the protesters were disrupting their normal operations, but the police released the two protesters after questioning them. On the following day, Wang Jingyu and Zhao Yunting continued their protest in front of the embassy. Subsequently, police officers arrived and arrested them. The next day, they were officially detained and informed that they were suspected of serious crimes. During the interrogation, Wang Jingyu was informed that a Chinese Embassy staff member named “Zhang Kui” had reported them for carrying explosives, extortion, and robbery. Based on these charges, Wang Jingyu and Zhao Yunting could potentially face a one-year prison sentence.

With the assistance of their lawyers and the Finnish Central Criminal Police, Wang Jingyu and Zhao Yunting were released after being detained for two days. On Wednesday, Wang Jingyu recounted the events and said, “On May 7th, the Finnish police formally arrested and detained us.. A police officer said that Zhao Yunting and I were suspected of serious criminal offenses. On May 8th, the Finnish police interrogated me again and told me that a person named ‘Zhang Kui’ from the Chinese Embassy had called them and accused us of planting bombs in Helsinki and robbing their diplomatic property, as well as extortion. After investigating, the Finnish police confirmed that we did not commit these acts.”

Wang Jingyu also mentioned that he had been subjected to death threats and harassment for over a year, with Chinese overseas police officers falsely reporting him numerous times. He believes this incident follows the same pattern and indicates a connection between the Chinese Embassy and illegal Chinese overseas police agencies.

The Chinese Embassy in Finland was contacted multiple times by the media, but they stated that there is no person named “Zhang Kui” in the embassy. Currently, Finnish lawyers are preparing to seek state compensation for the actions of the police. Wang Jingyu urged the police to  disclose the information about  the individual who made the false bomb threat publicly and called for a public condemnation statement.

Source: Radio Free Asia, May 11, 2023
https://www.rfa.org/cantonese/news/bomb-05112023112424.html

Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend

Dutch Resistance: 2 Provinces and 8 Cities Sever Friendship Ties with China

According to a Dutch media report, in the past two years, several provinces and cities in the Netherlands have ended their sister province and sister city relationships with China . China has been using these relationships as a means of external influence and penetration, but China  is facing increasing resistance.

The investigation by the Dutch newspaper NRC revealed that one-fourth of the sister friendly cooperation relationships, established between local authorities in the Netherlands and China in the past two years, have been canceled. Furthermore, several other municipal institutions are also preparing to end such cooperative relationships, while some municipalities are reevaluating their relationships with Chinese sister cities.

The report states that Dutch municipal authorities often cite China’s persecution of the Uighur ethnic group as the reason for terminating these relationships. Ahmed Marchouc, the mayor of Arnhem, said, “We must respect the principles of democracy, the rule of law, press freedom, and freedom of speech… (but) maintaining (friendly) relations with Chinese cities creates an image that disrespects these principles.” The city ended its relationship with Wuhan in 2021.

Some cities also mentioned that the economic benefits derived from these sister city relationships with China were not significant, which contributed to their decision to end them.

Source: Radio Free Asia, May 8, 2023
https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/Xinwen/9-05082023154300.html

Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend

CBN: LinkedIn to Shut Down Chinese Jobs App

China Business Network (CBN) recently reported that Microsoft’s workplace social media network, LinkedIn, just announced layoffs and that it will shut down its job-seeking application service in China. The company further said it plans to cut 716 jobs as demand fluctuates. It is worth noting that LinkedIn continues to downsize its business in China. The company decided to withdraw most of its Chinese business in 2021, and it shifted its business focus in China to meet the needs of job hunting and recruitment, and no longer produce content. After the latest business adjustment, LinkedIn said that, due to fierce competition and a challenging macroeconomic environment, it will take its only remaining application InCareers offline on August 9. However, a company spokesperson said LinkedIn would maintain a presence in China to help companies with operations in China recruit and train workers abroad. LinkedIn CEO Ryan Roslansky said in a letter to employees, that the company will be offloading more work to external partners in the future, who will then take on some of LinkedIn’s current work. The company also said the move to cut positions in sales, operations and support teams is aimed at simplifying the company’s operations and will move towards a more flattened management structure for faster decision-making. Microsoft acquired LinkedIn in 2016 for an estimated US$26 billion. According to Microsoft CEO Nadella previously revealed that, in 2021, LinkedIn’s global annual revenue was about US$10 billion.

Source: CBN, May 9, 2023
https://www.yicai.com/news/101751217.html

Briefings | | |   Information/Technology US-China Relations

China Times: Austria Joins Countries Banning TikTok from Business Phones

Major Taiwanese newspaper China Times recently reported that the Austrian Federal Interior Minister, Gerhard Karner, announced that the government will ban civil servants from using the Chinese-owned short video sharing application TikTok on their official mobile phones. This means another country joins the growing list of those who have banned the use of TikTok, Including the United Kingdom, the United States and several European Union (EU) member states. Many Western countries have banned the use of TikTok on official devices based on national security concerns. The EU’s two largest decision-making bodies also imposed a ban on TikTok in March. When Gerhard Karner was interviewed before the regular weekly cabinet meeting today, he was asked whether Austrian government officials could continue to use TikTok. He told reporters that official mobile phone use will be banned. However, using TikTok with private mobile phones outside the federal network is still possible. TikTok is owned by the Chinese company ByteDance. It is under scrutiny from a number of governments and regulators amid concerns that the Chinese government could use the app to collect user data or advance its own interests.

Source: China Times, May 11, 2023
https://www.chinatimes.com/cn/realtimenews/20230510006402-260408?chdtv

Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend Information/Technology

The U.S. and Europe to Take Joint Action against China

Well-known Chinese news site Sina (NASDAQ: SINA) recently reported that Western countries continue to hype the topic of so-called “economic coercion” by China. Following the Group of Seven (G7), the United States and the European Union also plan to repeat some old expressions of “concern” about China at a meeting at the end of this month, promising to take “joint actions” against China in a number of different fields such as the economy and trade. U.S. Secretary of State Blinken, European Commission Executive Vice President Vestager and other senior officials will attend the fourth ministerial meeting of the U.S.–EU Trade and Technology Committee (TTC) in Luleå, Sweden from May 30 to 31. According to a draft statement about that meeting, the United States and the European Union intend to commit to continued coordination and cooperation in the field of export control and investment review, and to address the challenges posed by issues such as non-market policies and practices and economic coercion. The U.S. and the EU have expressed the concern that “certain countries” use economic coercion to “induce or influence” foreign government decisions or actions for their own strategic political or policy goals. The parties committed to holding regular talks to discuss how to prevent companies in their regions from using knowledge related to foreign investment to support the technology advancement of their strategic competitors. The announcement draft also includes a bilateral commitment by Washington and Brussels to coordinate export controls on “sensitive items,” including items with military uses and semiconductors. The Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson said, in response to an inquiry, that the U.S.-led groups are not only “suppressing China,” but also depriving developing countries of their right to scientific and technological progress, hoping to forever suppress these countries at the low end of the industrial chain.

Source: Sina, May 14, 2023
https://k.sina.com.cn/article_1887344341_707e96d502001dd6d.html

Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend US-China Relations

Departing World Bank President: China Refused to Restructure Debts for Developing Countries

David R. Malpass, the departing President of the World Bank, told Bloomberg that, though the World Bank provided super-low interest rate loans to the developing countries facing debt payment challenges, those countries’ debt problems have not been resolved since China refused to restructure their debts.

Over seventy low-income countries accumulated US$326 billion worth of debt in total. Half of these countries, including Zambia, Ethiopia, and Ghana, are already unable to pay their debts or are about to be in that state soon. Zambia’s debt must be restructured (as it could not pay it back following the current terms), Seventy-five percent were from Beijing.

Source: Epoch Times, May 9, 2023
https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/23/5/9/n13991783.htm

Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources Geo-Strategic Trend