HK Court Orders Liquidation Of China Evergrande Group

A Hong Kong court on Monday ordered property developer China Evergrande Group to liquidate after it failed to reach a restructuring deal with creditors, as reported by Kanis Leung and Zen Soo for the Associated Press (AP).

Evergrande, the world’s most indebted property developer, is one of many property firms that ran into trouble when Chinese regulators cracked down on excessive borrowing in the real estate sector. I Photo: Dinkun Chen

Judge Linda Chan stated that it was appropriate for the court to order Evergrande to wind up its business due to the lack of progress in presenting a viable restructuring proposal and the company's insolvency.

The liquidation order is likely to impact China’s financial system, even as authorities try to prevent a selloff in the Chinese stock market.

Evergrande’s liquidation will likely also lessen confidence in the property sector, which has been slumping as developers struggle to meet their obligations following a crackdown on excessive borrowing in the sector.

Evergrande had been granted a brief reprieve in December after it said it was attempting to “refine” a new debt restructuring plan of more than $300 billion in liabilities.

Fergus Saurin, a lawyer representing an ad hoc group of creditors, said Monday he was not surprised by the outcome. “The company has failed to engage with us. There has been a history of last-minute engagement which has gone nowhere,” he said.

Saurin said that his team had been working in good faith in the entire process and that Evergrande “only has itself to blame for being wound up.”

The judge is expected to provide more reasons for the liquidation order during a separate court session Monday afternoon.

Evergrande, the world’s most indebted property developer, is one of many property firms that ran into trouble when Chinese regulators cracked down on excessive borrowing in the real estate sector.

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