Words: Keith Osborne
Published: 10th April 2008
China - Top 10 research resources
As we continue our series of articles on the best online resources for researching global emerging property markets, we focus this week on
China. Although economic growth has slowed slightly recently, China is now the
4th largest economy in the world as measured by nominal GDP and still has tremendous growth prospects over the longer term. While there are political risks and clean land title only exists in certain areas (like Shanghai), the rewards for agents and investors are potentially huge.
It’s a challenging market to approach, because its regulation is relatively
new and untested and there can be considerable language and cultural obstacles to overcome when establishing partnerships with reputable companies.
The capital, Beijing, is undergoing a
massive construction programme prior to hosting the Olympic Games in September but many other regions are being developed to cater for expanding numbers of overseas visitors. Demand for property in the domestic market is also increasingly rapidly. A survey from
China Daily put China’s middle class (people with degrees, being paid over US$617 per month) at over 100 million.
We’ve looked at a host of websites relating to China and narrowed down our selection to those we feel are the ten best. If you think we might have omitted any useful sites from our list, please feel free to
post your comments at the bottom of the page:
PKF International “Doing Business In China” Guide. An 89-page, free-to-access download from PKF International, a worldwide network of accounting and business consultancy firms. Published in September 2006, there’s a wealth of detailed information for setting up business in China, including the legal framework, reporting requirements, taxation and employee relations.
PWC “Emerging Trends In Real Estate – Asia Pacific 2008”. Global accountancy firm PricewaterhouseCoopers has published (jointly with the Urban Land Institute) the second edition of its forecast publication focusing on the south-east Asian property market, including China. It’s free to order from the PWC website, you just need to provide registration information.
DiligenceChina.com. Published by consultant Andrew Hupert, this blog is focused on the subject of due diligence, with lots of useful advice and articles on factors to consider when sourcing business partners in China.
China-Britain Business Council. A quick guide to the rudiments of business etiquette in China, from this organization promoting Sino-British commercial relations. There’s a whole range of useful articles relating to business in China that will be invaluable for anyone new to the country. Subscribing to its “Review” magazine for £75+VAT per year also gives you email notification of events and networking opportunities and the exclusive Network section of the site.
The Economist Country Briefing. The respected journal thoughtfully arranges its articles and a host of economic data by country, so you can get most of its recent editorial on China on one page. Some of its content requires subscription, which costs from $79 (£40) annually, but there’s a fair amount of useful research and news that’s completely free.
ShanghaiDaily.com. The online presence of this popular English-language newspaper carries a broad spectrum of news and articles, including a real estate section, covering Shanghai itself and the world at large. Much is available for free, but subscription costs $54.99 (£28) per year, for which you’ll receive each daily edition to your inbox, breaking news alerts and complete access to the online articles and archive.
China Real Estate News Blog. Author Tam Tree aggregates news items from a wide range of reputable international sources to provide an up-to-date and comprehensive blog devoted to real estate in China.
China Economic Review. Another aggregated news resource, with a real estate section summarizing the latest items from Chinese and international news sites, with a link to the full source story. Sign up for free daily or weekly newsletters or subscribe to the eJournal for $100 (£50) to get full access to the site and PDF downloads of the monthly print magazine.
Totally Property China Property Forum. Regularly updated forum dedicated to Chinese property from an overseas investor’s perspective, featuring contributions from people with first-hand experience of the process. A worthwhile read in order to learn about the real issues facing buyers in this new market.
MIPIM Asia 2008. There are a number of other
real estate exhibitions focused on China, but the Asian edition of the MIPIM show, taking place in Hong Kong in November 2008, benefits from the brand’s reputation within the property industry as a place to meet potential partners. A free-to-access
“Review” magazine from the 2007 edition exhibition and a downloadable list of exhibitors from that show are a good way to ascertain the major players in the region.
If you're researching other destinations, please refer to our other articles:
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