China Evergrande Group’s long-awaited debt restructuring may finally be at hand, posing a fresh test for Xi Jinping’s government as it tries to rein in the country’s financial excesses without derailing economic growth.
The embattled developer said in an exchange filing late Friday that it plans to "actively engage” with offshore creditors on a restructuring plan, offering its most explicit acknowledgment yet that its $300 billion of overseas and local liabilities have become unsustainable.
A barrage of statements from Chinese regulators — several of which landed just minutes after Evergrande’s announcement — suggested authorities are striving to contain the fallout on homeowners, the financial system and the broader economy rather than orchestrate a bailout.