Against the backdrop of successive real estate industry defaults and the early signs of a market bubble burst, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has rolled out a series of groundbreaking “housing reform” policies, sparking much debate. The policies call for a dual-track system emphasizing affordable housing, which signifies a significant departure in the Chinese real estate market. However, analysts are raising concerns that these reforms might destabilize real estate developers and trigger a precarious market collapse, simultaneously curbing the investment attributes of housing and potentially shrinking the wealth accumulated by Chinese citizens over the past two decades. The housing policy, titled “Guiding Opinions on Planning and Building Affordable Housing,” received approval during the CCP State Council’s executive meeting on Aug. 25, designated as Document No. 14. The policy was officially issued on Sept. 1. It has sparked widespread discussions since its disclosure by the Economic Observer network on Oct. 26....Read more https://www.theepochtimes.com/china/analysis-housing-reform-policy-will-reshape-chinas-real-estate-landscape-5527634
U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo will meet her Chinese counterpart, Wang Wentao, at the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum in San Francisco this week, marking the third meeting between the pair since May. Ms. Raimondo first mentioned the meeting during an interview with CNN that aired on Nov. 12. A Commerce Department spokesperson later confirmed that two commerce chiefs’ planned meeting to Reuters, without providing details. The APEC summit, which runs until Nov. 17, is headlined by the highly-anticipated meeting between President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Wednesday. Ahead of the summit, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen held two days of talks with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng in San Francisco last week.... 
California Gov. Gavin Newsom has defended his decision to launch a huge cleanup effort in the state ahead of a visit from U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping, among other world leaders. Speaking to reporters during the unveiling of a new program to plant trees in urban neighborhoods on Nov. 13, the Democrat did not deny the clean-up efforts ahead of the visit from what he described as “fancy” world leaders. President Biden and Mr. Xi are among the senior officials set to visit San Francisco, California this week for the 21-member Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) group’s annual meeting....
Former Chinese premier Li Keqiang died of a heart attack on Oct. 27, with many questioning whether his sudden death was the result of an internal struggle within the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Several CCP’s top retired officials absented themselves from Mr. Li’s funeral. However, a few days later, these party elders presented wreaths of flowers at another funeral for a provincial-level cadre, evidently signaling their discontent with the authorities’ handling of Mr. Li’s death. Political analysts believe that the sudden death of Mr. Li has become a trigger and that the authorities handling of his death and funeral has aroused the discontent of political seniors and party princelings (children of prominent founding figures of the CCP)....