Greater China

Local government-owned Shandong Guohui Investment Co made a quick comeback to the dollar bond market to raise $300m on Thursday, when its Chinese peer Qingdao Jimo District Urban Development Investment Co made its offshore debut.

In this round-up, the Office of the US Trade Representative postponed imposing 10% tariffs on selected Chinese imports, protesters paralysed Hong Kong airport for two days and Shanghai said it would allow foreign employees to receive stock options on the A-share market.

A number of supranationals have delayed their plans to issue Panda bonds over a dispute about their accepting Chinese regulatory oversight, write Rebecca Feng and Burhan Khadbai.

Macau casino operator MGM China has raised its first unsecured borrowing, joining a handful of companies raising straight loans to replace outstanding secured facilities. Bankers think that plenty more casinos will take a punt on the format. Pan Yue reports.

Chinese lending to and investment in central and eastern Europe is on the up. China has extended its reach to rival the influence of its western counterparts with its best weapon: money. But many bankers speaking to GlobalCapital this week think the trend is problematic.

China’s securities firms are about to be subject to an alarming rule that will limit their capacity to provide independent research. The decision to grade firms on their ability to manage the reputation of China and guide public opinion is a big step back for the country’s financial system.

The protests in Hong Kong continue to spiral out of control. Hundreds of thousands of people have taken to the streets. Residents have got used to the sight of armed response units running past their windows. The airport has ground to a halt. Was it really sensible to plan a business trip in the middle of all this?

Equity capital markets bankers and investors are coming to terms with the idea that there may not be a trade deal to end tensions between the US and China this year, despite the former delaying some of its latest tariffs on Chinese goods until the end of the year.

China IT company Chinasoft International has returned to the syndicated loan market after six years, seeking a HK$1bn ($127m) facility.

Zhenro Properties Group returned to the dollar bond market for the seventh time this year on Tuesday, tapping one of its March transactions for an additional $110m. But the market presented a whole different set of problems for the borrower this time round.

The People’s Bank of China (PBoC) bagged Rmb30bn ($4.3bn) through a two tranche trade on Wednesday. It was not the first time the issuer picked a curious time to sell Bills.

MGM China has raised a HK$9.75bn ($1bn) unsecured revolving credit facility with a group of 13 lenders to repay its old secured borrowings.