Tsinghua Unigroup's bond default: Five things to know

Chinese chipmaker's financial problems send shock waves in corporate debt market

20201211 Tsinghua Unigroup five things to know main image

Tsinghua Unigroup has been aiming to establish itself as a leader in China's memory-chip industry since 2015 but has been facing investor skepticism over its finances. © AP

NARAYANAN SOMASUNDARAM and KENJI KAWASE, Nikkei staff writers

HONG KONG -- The liquidity crisis at Chinese chipmaker Tsinghua Unigroup, a crown jewel of President Xi Jinping's grand "Made in China 2025" plan, deepened this week after the company said it would default on more bonds.

The company, majority-owned by the prestigious Tsinghua University in Beijing, Xi's alma mater, said a subsidiary failed to meet a deadline to repay a $450 million Eurobond and noted that the credit delinquency "will constitute a cross-default." That means three U.S.-dollar denominated bonds issued by the unit in January 2018, with a total face value of $2 billion, will also be considered in default.

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