China’s years-long property downturn has carried into 2026, with new-home sales sliding sharply and, by some measures, deteriorating at their fastest pace in recent years. The country’s top 100 developers reported combined contracted sales of 165.5 billion yuan (US$24 billion) in January, down 27 per cent from a year earlier, according to data released over the weekend by China Real Estate Information Corporation (CRIC). Stress was particularly acute among offshore borrowers. The combined...