China

China has finished building a national and unified system for real estate registration, the official Xinhua news agency reported on Tuesday, in a landmark move that will boost transparency in ownership, Reuters reported. In 2014, China issued rules requiring real estate owners to register their holdings with authorities but faced heavy resistance from local governments unwilling to open up their books.

China nudged banks this month to cut deposit interest rates further in the latest effort to channel the country's vast savings pool into spending and more productive investments, Reuters reported. Members of China's "interest rate self-regulatory mechanism," mostly banks, met this month and were urged to reduce deposit rates. China's central bank does not set bank rates directly but guides them through the market-based mechanism, which comprises banks big and small. The guidance comes as banks and the economy groan under the weight of huge inflows of savings and deposits.

The northeastern Chinese city of Shenyang is considering buying a stake in Hong Kong-listed Brilliance China Automotive Holdings Ltd., giving it exposure to a local joint venture with BMW AG, Bloomberg News reported. The municipal government is discussing a potential acquisition of a 30% stake in Brilliance China held by state-backed Brilliance Automotive Group Holdings Co., which is in a court-led restructuring process, the people said, asking not to be identified as the information is confidential.

China’s economy rebounded in the first three months of the year after Beijing dismantled its heavy-handed Covid-19 controls, teeing up a revival in growth that is expected to buoy the global economy as the U.S. and European economies slow, the Wall Street Journal reported. China’s economy expanded 4.5% in the first quarter of the year compared with the same three months a year earlier, China’s National Bureau of Statistics said Tuesday.

China can phase out currency intervention by gradually reducing the amount and frequency of its forays into the market, the country's central bank governor said on Saturday, underscoring Beijing's resolve to keep up efforts to boost the yuan's global presence, Reuters reported. People's Bank of China Governor Yi Gang also said the central bank will seek to guide monetary policy so that real interest rates move slightly below the potential growth rate. "We have been trying to maintain the exchange rate stable for some time.

China Evergrande New Energy Vehicle Group Ltd.’s billionaire founder vowed to overtake Tesla Inc. as the world’s biggest maker of electric cars within three to five years back in early 2019. Four years later, the company’s stock has gone from boom to bust and it’s struggling to survive, Bloomberg News reported. Evergrande NEV, the brainchild of Hui Ka Yan — the tycoon behind beleaguered property developer China Evergrande Group, is seeking a lifeline after last month warning it would need to stop production at its Tianjin factory unless new funds were secured.

China's exports unexpectedly surged in March, with officials flagging rising demand for electric vehicles, but analysts cautioned the improvement partly reflects suppliers catching up with unfulfilled orders after last year's COVID-19 disruptions, Reuters reported. Exports in March shot up 14.8% from a year ago, snapping five straight months of declines. But analysts say the jump was more likely related to exporters rushing to fulfil a backlog of orders that had been disrupted by the pandemic in past months, and warned the global demand outlook remained subdued.

China is softening its stance over how to restructure billions of dollars of debt held by poor nations, offering a glimmer of progress in long-stalled talks over unlocking desperately needed aid, Bloomberg News reported. Discussions under way Wednesday in Washington during the World Bank and International Monetary Fund’s Spring Meetings were aimed at ending a deadlock among the biggest creditor nations on how to renegotiate poorer nations’ debt, which had become unsustainable amid surging inflation and a stronger dollar.

Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema said China and the U.S. have a responsibility to set aside their differences and help countries such as his get the debt relief they need to avoid further damage to their economies, WSJ Pro Bankruptcy reported. With finance officials from around the world gathering in Washington this week for the International Monetary Fund and World Bank biannual meetings, Mr. Hichilema’s country is emerging as a focal point of discussions on how to restructure poor nations’ debts. U.S.

Chinese provinces plan to boost spending on major construction projects by almost a fifth this year as Beijing continues to rely on infrastructure to spur an economy being hindered by consumers still bruised from years of pandemic restrictions, Bloomberg News reported. About two thirds of China’s regions have announced spending plans for major projects such as transport infrastructure, energy generation and industrial parks this year, adding up to more than 12.2 trillion yuan ($1.8 trillion), according to a Bloomberg analysis of government statements and state-media reports.