
Wealthy Chinese turn away from US real estate as Trump amps up trade war with Beijing
Wealthy mainland Chinese are increasingly shifting their attention and capital away from the US to other real estate markets amid rising geopolitical tensions between Washington and Beijing, according to property agents.
Advertisement
In 2024, Chinese buyers' demand for homes that cost more than US$5 million moved to
Thailand
Australia and
Canada , respectively, according to data tracked by Juwai IQI.
By comparison, the US in 2023 was the top choice among Chinese buyers, according to the property portal, which has a network of over 50,000 real estate professionals across more than 30 countries.
'Geopolitical friction, protectionism and increased scrutiny of property deals have discouraged some buyers,' Juwai IQI co-founder and group chief executive
Kashif Ansari said.
'Chinese investment in US homes has dropped more than 50 per cent from its peak in 2017,' he said. 'Buyers are looking for friendlier alternatives.'
Advertisement

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


HKFP
3 hours ago
- HKFP
Southeast Asia, Gulf and China 3-way talks ‘response to call of times'
Chinese Premier Li Qiang said Tuesday that the first-ever summit between his country, Southeast Asian leaders and Gulf states was 'a response to the call of the times' in a geopolitically uncertain world. The trade-dependent economies are looking to insulate themselves after US President Donald Trump blew up global trade norms by announcing a slew of tariffs targeting countries around the world this year. Though he subsequently instigated a 90-day pause for most, the experience has spurred the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and others to accelerate efforts to diversify their trading networks. On Tuesday the Malaysian capital hosted the inaugural summit between ASEAN, China and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) — a regional bloc made up of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Li told the meeting that 'against the backdrop of a volatile international situation', the summit was 'a pioneering work of regional economic cooperation'. 'This is not only a continuation of the course of history, but also a response to the call of the times,' he said. Opening the talks, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said he was confident the three sides could 'shape a future that is more connected, more resilient, and more prosperous for generations to come' — having warned on Monday that 'a transition in the geopolitical order is underway'. ASEAN has traditionally served as 'a middleman of sorts' between developed economies like the United States, and China, said Chong Ja Ian from the National University of Singapore (NUS). With Washington looking unreliable these days, 'ASEAN member states are looking to diversify', he said. 'Facilitating exchanges between the Gulf and People's Republic of China is one aspect of this diversification.' Malaysia, which holds ASEAN's rotating chairmanship, is the main force behind the initiative, Chong said. 'Timely and calculated' Beijing has suffered the brunt of Trump's tariffs and is also looking to shore up other markets. China and ASEAN are already each other's largest trading partners, and Chinese exports to Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam surged by double digits in April — attributed to a re-routing of US-bound goods. Premier Li's participation is 'both timely and calculated', Khoo Ying Hooi from the University of Malaya told AFP. 'China sees an opportunity here to reinforce its image as a reliable economic partner, especially in the face of Western decoupling efforts.' Beijing and Washington engaged in an escalating flurry of tit-for-tat levies until a meeting in Switzerland saw an agreement to slash them for 90 days. Chinese goods still face higher tariffs than most though. According to a draft statement seen by AFP, ASEAN will express 'deep concern… over the imposition of unilateral tariff measures'. But it said earlier this year it would not impose retaliatory duties. Treacherous waters ASEAN has historically avoided choosing a side between the United States and China. China is only Southeast Asia's fourth largest source of foreign direct investment, after the United States, Japan and the European Union, noted NUS' Chong. Anwar said Monday he had written to request an ASEAN-US summit this year, with his foreign minister saying Washington had not yet responded. Yet any closer alignment with Beijing presents problems of its own, despite Anwar's insistence Monday night that 'whatever is being said… we are here as a friend of China'. On Monday, Philippines leader Ferdinand Marcos said there was an 'urgent need' to adopt a legally binding code of conduct in the South China Sea. Beijing has territorial disputes with five ASEAN member states in the area, with China and the Philippines having engaged in months of confrontations in the contested waters. Anwar raised the South China Sea with Li, the Malaysian prime minister said in a Tuesday Facebook post announcing the one-on-one meeting. 'Other disputants… are perhaps willing to let the Philippines bear the brunt of pressure,' Chong said. Tension between Manila and Beijing 'means that these issues will not fade into the background, much as some other Southeast Asian states wish to focus on economic issues', he added.


HKFP
9 hours ago
- HKFP
Developing nations face ‘tidal wave' of China debt, report warns
The world's poorest nations face a 'tidal wave of debt' as repayments to China hit record highs in 2025, an Australian think tank warned Tuesday in a new report. China's Belt and Road Initiative lending spree of the 2010s has paid for shipping ports, railways, roads and more from the deserts of Africa to the tropical South Pacific. But new lending is drying up, according to Australia's Lowy Institute, and is now outweighed by the debts that developing countries must pay back. 'Developing countries are grappling with a tidal wave of debt repayments and interest costs to China,' researcher Riley Duke said. 'Now, and for the rest of this decade, China will be more debt collector than banker to the developing world.' The Lowy Institute sifted through World Bank data to calculate developing nations' repayment obligations. It found that the poorest 75 countries were set to make 'record high debt repayments' to China in 2025 of a combined US$22 billion. 'As a result, China's net lending position has shifted rapidly,' Duke said. 'Moving from being a net provider of financing — where it lent more than it received in repayments — to a net drain, with repayments now exceeding loan disbursements.' Paying off debts was starting to jeopardise spending on hospitals, schools, and climate change, the Lowy report found. 'Pressure from Chinese state lending, along with surging repayments to a range of international private creditors, is putting enormous financial strain on developing economies.' The report also raised questions about whether China could seek to parlay these debts for 'geopolitical leverage', especially after the United States slashed foreign aid. While Chinese lending was falling almost across the board, the report said there were two areas that seemed to be bucking the trend. The first was in nations such as Honduras and Solomon Islands, which received massive new loans after switching diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to China. The other was in countries such as Indonesia or Brazil, where China has signed new loan deals to secure battery metals or other critical minerals.


RTHK
9 hours ago
- RTHK
Li Qiang calls inaugural summit 'response to times'
Li Qiang calls inaugural summit 'response to times' Officials at the Asean-GCC-China summit get together for a group photo in Kuala Lumpur. Photo: AFP Li Qiang said on Tuesday that the first-ever summit between his country, Southeast Asian leaders and Gulf states was "a response to the call of the times" in a geopolitically uncertain world. The trade-dependent economies are looking to insulate themselves after US President Donald Trump blew up global trade norms by announcing a slew of tariffs targeting countries around the world this year. Though he subsequently instigated a 90-day pause for most, the experience has spurred the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) and others to accelerate efforts to diversify their trading networks. On Tuesday the Malaysian capital hosted the inaugural summit between Asean, China and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) – a regional bloc made up of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Li told the meeting that "against the backdrop of a volatile international situation", the summit was "a pioneering work of regional economic cooperation". "This is not only a continuation of the course of history, but also a response to the call of the times'." Opening the talks, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said he was confident the three sides could "shape a future that is more connected, more resilient and more prosperous for generations to come" – having warned on Monday that "a transition in the geopolitical order is underway". Asean has traditionally served as "a middleman of sorts" between developed economies like the United States and China, said Chong Ja Ian from the National University of Singapore. With Washington looking unreliable these days, "Asean member states are looking to diversify", he said. "Facilitating exchanges between the Gulf and People's Republic of China is one aspect of this diversification." Malaysia, which holds ASEAN's rotating chairmanship, is the main force behind the initiative, Chong said. Beijing has suffered the brunt of Trump's tariffs and is also looking to shore up other markets. China and Asean are already each other's largest trading partners, and Chinese exports to Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam surged by double digits in April – attributed to a re-routing of US-bound goods. Premier Li's participation is "both timely and calculated", Khoo Ying Hooi from the University of Malaya said. "China sees an opportunity here to reinforce its image as a reliable economic partner, especially in the face of Western decoupling efforts." According to a draft statement, Asean will express "deep concern... over the imposition of unilateral tariff measures". (AFP)