Chinese individual investors are already a presence, particularly in global real estate markets, but I wouldn't say they're appearing en masse. Places as disparate as Vancouver and Singapore have seen property driven up by Chinese buying, partly as investment and partly (I suspect) as pre-flight capital. How these trend plays out remains to be seen; it will depend largely on what happens on the mainland in the next couple of years.
It does look like a collapse in the Chinese residential construction industry is underway, and there could be serious implications. The construction and building materials industries are major employers, and a breakdown will leave a whole bunch of unemployed males without a lot of options... that can easily translate to disorder. Add that to the people in the middle class and above who have poured life's savings and borrowed money into properties that have plunged in value and in some cases may no longer be salable at all, and you could have trouble.
Bookmarks