Many Chinese debt issuers are still undergoing a wave of defaults, putting offshore general unsecured creditors at risk.
One way to secure substantial recovery is to enforce keepwell agreements, promises by a PRC onshore parent company to maintain a debt issuer’s liquidity and solvency.
This can expand the range of enforcement targets, increasing creditors’ options and chances of success.
Chinese and other Asia-based investors have targeted the U.S. commercial real estate market recently, whether by direct investment or through CMBS or REITs.
However, the pandemic, credit tightening and regional bank failures have accelerated a market downturn, and many investors are vulnerable to losses.
Investors should consider proactive or counteroffensive strategies to enforce their legal rights, even against big industry players, to mitigate their losses and protect their bottom lines.
Offshore bondholders of distressed Chinese real estate companies often lack leverage in restructuring negotiations, with those companies’ assets located mostly in China.
China Evergrande Group is just one of the many Chinese real estate companies teetering on default, with wide-ranging consequences.
However, by taking deploying creative strategies and taking positions against competing stakeholders, activist bondholders can carve out a direct path to monetization.
