Chinese developer Sinic warns of default on US$250m bond due in January

[SHANGHAI] Chinese property developer Sinic Holdings said on Wednesday (Dec 22) it is likely to default on notes worth US$250 million due next month, which could trigger the terms where its payments become due for all its public bonds.

The potential default would be Sinic's second after having missed a payment on a different loan in October.

Slowdown in sales and a liquidity crunch in China have pushed several indebted firms in the high-yielding sector like Kaisa Group and China Evergrande Group to the brink, whose fate has roiled financial markets in recent months.

Sinic said it did not have sufficient funds to pay the principal and last instalment of the senior unsecured note due on its maturity date - Jan 24, 2022.

That, along with cross defaults triggered under the June 2022 bonds, could lead to all of the company's listed bonds becoming due if holders choose to ask for payments, Sinic added.

Sinic shares and debt securities will continue to be suspended after they were first put on a trading halt on Sep 20, it further said.

REUTERS