China: 'The Best Place to Invest in the Next Five to 10 Years'

The Carlyle Group, one of the world's largest private equity firms, has been in China for nearly a decade and has contributed to the fast-growing private equity industry in China. Why is private equity so important in China now? What are its major challenges? China Knowledge@Wharton recently interviewed David Rubenstein, co-founder and managing director of the Carlyle Group, which was established in 1987 and today manages more than $75 billion in 33 offices around the world.

Interest rate hikes won't quell appetite for real estate

Friday's interest rate hike will likely curb investment-oriented house buying but will not deliver a major blow to the property market, experts say.

The People's Bank of China raised the one-year deposit interest rate by 27 basis points to 4.14 percent and the lending rate by 18 basis points to 7.47 percent as of Friday. This is the sixth time the central bank has raised the benchmark interest rates this year.

"The raised lending rate will weigh on homebuyers as they have to pay more to banks. Therefore, property investors may think twice. However, it will hardly change the demand of those who buy apartments for their own use," said Long Bin, head of MyTopHome's research department.

China's foreigners kept hungry for real estate

BEIJING - For many foreigners, investing in property in China isn't easy. Just ask Tom Luckock.

Luckock, a 32-year-old Australian lawyer who has lived in Beijing for six years, owns two siheyuan - or four-sided courtyards - tucked away in Beijing's historic hutong alleyways. He bought the first 190-square-meter home two years ago after four years of searching and several collapsed deals.

Developers snap up real estate plots

REAL estate developers have been fast expanding their land banks across the country over the past 11 months, a recent study by China Securities Journal has found.

The newspaper, affiliated to the official Xinhua news agency, yesterday released a study of 86 land acquisition announcements so far this year made to the country's two stock exchanges.

About 70 percent were located in the eastern Yangtze River Delta, the northern cities of Beijing and Tianjin, neighboring Hebei Province and the southern Guangdong Province.

Shanghai to impose tougher land and estate tax

The government of Shanghai has decided to impose heavier land and real estate taxes on land developers and commercial home owners, with the maximum tax amount of up to 30 yuan per square meters, which will take effect starting from the current taxable year from January to December.

This is believed to be the first ever such strong move in the country that directly targets the skyrocketing commercial housing prices that, like in many other cities around the country, have not only made a big majority of urban residents becoming "housing slaves", but also shattered the dreams of many others in getting their houses on much affordable prices.