Local Financing Platforms Participating in Overseas Debt Issues Might Be Risky
ANBOUND
To
tackle excess debts, some of Chinese companies take an approach of issuing overseas
debts to raise funds. According to Anbound financial researchers, the issuance
of overseas debts by Chinese companies during January to April in 2018 has
reached US$87 billion, 2.8 times more than the same period last year. It is
worth noting that the "local financing platforms" subordinated to
local governments are also channels for issuing overseas debts since 2018, through
Qinghai, Xinjiang, Zunyi City in Guizhou and alike. Such kind of financing abroad
also increased the leverage on domestic assets and operations that still need
to pay the debts. In the context of greater rigidity and impact of external
debt defaults, potential risks cannot be underestimated. There are worrisome
among major foreign banks who believe the bond market may be affected if credit
risks expand on local financing platforms.