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blog

The Where And Why Of China's Global Real Estate Investment Boom

A traditional home on the South Korean island of Jeju
A traditional home on the South Korean island of Jeju

BEIJING — Much has been made recently about Chinese real estate investors, who spend huge sums snapping up foreign property. Tencent Finance, a Chinese online magazine, published a report on the phenomenon this week, in an article titled: "Those Countries Taken Over By Chinese Property Speculators." Here's a breakdown.

South Korea:South Korea's geographical proximity to their country has attracted many Chinese buyers, who have collectively purchased 160,000 square meters in Seoul and 9.14 million square meters in holiday destination Jeju Island over the last few years. As a result, real estate prices on Jeju Island have more than doubled.

Japan: The country's environment and quality houses attract Chinese real estate investors to Japan. Last year alone, they poured over $2 billion into Japan, contributing to a 30% increase in its property prices.

Singapore: Singapore's excellent education system, reputation as the world's "safest city," and large Chinese population make an appealing package for investors in China. In many cases, they actually hope to move to Singapore, or at least to send their children there. Some estimates show more than 10% of the city-state's properties put on the market in recent years were bought by Chinese.

United States: Though regarded by the Chinese Communist Party as a decadent country, the United States is China's top destination for both immigration purposes and property purchases. In the last five years, individual Chinese buyers have spent as much as $110 billion on U.S. property, and that doesn't include money invested in real estate through corporate institutions and trusts.

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Society

Is Disney's "Wish" Spreading A Subtle Anti-Christian Message To Kids?

Disney's new movie "Wish" is being touted as a new children's blockbuster to celebrate the company's 100th anniversary. But some Christians may see the portrayal of the villain as God-like and turning wishes into prayers as the ultimate denial of the true message of Christmas.

photo of a kid running out of a church

For the Christmas holiday season?

Joseph Holmes

Christians have always had a love-hate relationship with Disney since I can remember. Growing up in the Christian culture of the 1990s and early 2000s, all the Christian parents I knew loved watching Disney movies with their kids – but have always had an uncomfortable relationship with some of its messages. It was due to the constant Disney tropes of “follow your heart philosophy” and “junior knows best” disdain for authority figures like parents that angered so many. Even so, most Christians felt the benefits had outweighed the costs.

That all seems to have changed as of late, with Disney being hit more and more by claims from conservatives (including Christian conservatives) that Disney is pushing more and more radical progressive social agendas, This has coincided with a steep drop at the box office for Disney.

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