logo
episode-header-image
Oct 2023
13m 43s

How did 6 million people in China buy ho...

Bbc World Service
About this episode

China is in the middle of a housing market crisis. Two of its top property developers, Evergrande and Country Garden, are struggling to pay back debt or fulfil their promises to build properties they have already sold to millions of people.

Fan Wang, a BBC reporter in Singapore, tells us about societal pressures young people face to be home owners in China.

Chen Yen, a journalist at BBC’s Chinese service in Hong Kong, takes us through the details of the housing market.

And as China is the world's second-largest economy, what kind of damage could a collapse of its property market cause? Nick Marsh, our Asia Business Correspondent explains how concerned we should be.

Email: whatintheworld@bbc.co.uk WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: Hannah Gelbart Producers: Emily Horler, Benita Barden and Julia Ross-Roy Editors: Verity Wilde and Simon Peeks

Up next
Yesterday
ICE explained: What powers do its agents have?
Protesters have taken to the streets and tensions are running high in the city of Minneapolis in the US, after ICE agents shot and killed a 37-year-old man named Alex Pretti on Saturday. This comes just weeks after another ICE agent shot and killed US citizen Renee Nicole Good in ... Show More
8m 58s
Jan 23
Why does Donald Trump want Greenland?
Donald Trump can’t stop talking about Greenland. He spent a big chunk of his speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos talking about the island, saying he wouldn’t use force but threatening consequences if it wasn’t handed over. Later that day, he said discussions with NATO Sec ... Show More
8m 58s
Jan 22
The 'forever chemicals' lurking in our water and clothes
Do you know there could be chemicals in your clothes, food packaging and even your make-up which can take hundreds or even thousands of years to break down?They’re called PFAS - or “forever chemicals” - and they are everywhere. They're in our drinking water, at harmful levels in ... Show More
13 m
Recommended Episodes
Oct 2021
A Threat to China’s Economy
<p>Every once in a while a company grows so big and messy that governments fear what would happen to the broader economy if it were to fail. In China, Evergrande, a sprawling real estate developer, is that company.</p><p>Evergrande has the distinction of being the world’s most de ... Show More
30m 25s
Jul 2023
China’s Economic Rebound Hits a Wall
<p>When China suddenly dismantled its lockdowns and other Covid precautions last December, officials in Beijing and many investors expected the economy to spring back to life. It hasn’t worked out that way.</p><p>Daisuke Wakabayashi, an Asia business correspondent for The Times, ... Show More
22m 59s