1 yuan to sell off real estate development business! CCCC Real Estate Cuts Off Its Arm to Survive, Bids Farewell to Real Estate Development

China Communications Construction Real Estate sold its entire real estate development business in a package deal for 1 yuan.

*ST Zhongdi (000736.SZ) released a report (draft) on the material asset sale and related party transaction on June 16, stating that the company intends to transfer the assets and liabilities related to its real estate development business to its controlling shareholder, China Communications Real Estate Group Co., Ltd., at a transaction price of 1 yuan.

According to the restructuring draft, the assets to be transferred cover the entire chain of real estate development business, including controlling and participating stakes in real estate development enterprises, corresponding receivables, and liabilities. Additionally, according to the asset appraisal report, as of December 31, 2024, the net book value of the target assets was -3.919 billion yuan, which was appraised at -2.976 billion yuan, representing an appraisal increase of 24.06%.

"From the financial data disclosed by China Communications Construction Real Estate, it can be seen that the company is transferring a massive package of negative assets, which explains why the transaction is priced at a symbolic 1 yuan. The core objective is to divest the heavy burden of negative assets," noted Yan Yuejin, Deputy Dean of the E-House China Research Institute.

"The 1-yuan pricing is essentially about divesting negative assets," a senior investment banker commented. "To some extent, this is equivalent to the parent company, China Communications Construction Group, providing support to the publicly listed firm by bearing a significant amount of negative assets."

Regarding this material asset sale, China Communications Construction Real Estate stated that the real estate development industry, in which the target assets are engaged, has high capital demands and a large scale of liabilities. After the completion of this transaction, the relevant target assets will no longer be included in the consolidated financial statements of the publicly listed firm, which will transition from a "heavy" to a "light" model. It is expected that the total assets and revenue scale of the publicly listed firm will decrease significantly.

Industry insiders pointed out that behind this transaction priced at just 1 yuan lies a central state-owned enterprise real estate company deeply mired in losses and on the brink of delisting, undertaking a "drastic" strategic retreat to survive.

"In recent years, the real estate market has undergone continuous and profound adjustments, and the real estate development business has dragged down the performance of some publicly listed firms," said Liu Shui, Director of Corporate Research at the China Index Academy. China Communications Construction Real Estate, a central state-owned enterprise, has also been dragged down by its development business, not only incurring losses for two consecutive years but also facing delisting risks.

Financial reports show that in 2022, 2023, and 2024, the net profits attributable to the parent company of China Communications Construction Real Estate were 34 million yuan, -1.611 billion yuan, and -5.179 billion yuan, respectively.

Alongside the decline in net profit, the sales scale of China Communications Construction Real Estate has also shrunk significantly. In 2022, 2023, and 2024, the sales amounts of China Communications Construction Real Estate were 45.882 billion yuan, 37.3 billion yuan, and 15.64 billion yuan, respectively.

Financial data released by the company showed that as of December 31, 2024, CCCC Real Estate had total assets of RMB 107.698 billion and net assets attributable to shareholders of publicly listed firms of -RMB 3.579 billion. In accordance with the relevant provisions of the "Stock Listing Rules," its shares were subject to delisting risk warnings (*ST) on April 16, 2025.

"After two consecutive years of losses, if it cannot completely reverse its fundamentals in the short term, delisting is almost a foregone conclusion. Divesting heavy-asset burdens is a crucial step in winning a breathing space," said the aforementioned investment banker.

"Divesting loss-making assets through this transaction will enhance the company's asset quality and create conditions for subsequent transformation and development. This transaction can improve the profitability and sustainable operating capacity of publicly listed firms and mitigate the delisting risks of publicly listed firms," said CCCC Real Estate.

After shedding the heavy burden of real estate development, CCCC Real Estate announced that it would shift to "asset-light" operations.

CCCC Real Estate stated that before this restructuring, the main business of the publicly listed firm was real estate development and sales. Through this restructuring, it will focus on asset-light businesses such as property services and asset management and operations (including commercial management and self-held property leasing) in the future, achieving a strategic transformation to an asset-light operating model.

"Divesting the real estate development business can not only reduce the company's liabilities but also mitigate credit risks associated with the heavy-asset nature of real estate development," Liu Shui believed. Shifting the focus to an asset-light model can achieve higher profit margins and reduce the company's exposure to cyclical risks in the real estate market.

However, analysts pointed out that divestment will also lead to a significant reduction in total assets and revenue scale. The key to the company's subsequent performance lies in whether the new asset-light engine can quickly take over.

"For CCCC Real Estate, which is backed by a central state-owned enterprise but is mired in delisting risks, divesting its real estate business is just the beginning. Its path to revival largely depends on whether it can transform itself in the fiercely competitive red ocean of property services and asset management," said Yan Yuejin.