CHINA has overtaken Japan to become Asia Pacific's largest market in terms of investment-grade commercial real estate, an international property service provider said today.
The value of investment-grade commercial real estate in China totaled US$1.5 trillion in 2012, a 15 percent annual rise in local currency terms, said DTZ, a division of UGL Ltd, in a report.
Asia Pacific, which saw an 8 percent rise in commercial real estate transactions last year, was the only region to post growth in invested stock, mainly powered by the emerging markets on the back of strong economic fundamentals. Robust economic growth drove up capital values and supported new construction, leading to a net addition to invested stock, DTZ said.
"Asia Pacific continued to drive growth in global invested stock in 2012, with China now the largest market on the back of strong economic fundamentals," said Kate Barrow, DTZ head of Asia Pacific forecasting.
Commercial investment in Asia Pacific remains robust as transaction volumes, excluding land sales, rose 21 percent in 2012. The proportion of inter-regional investment doubled. Hong Kong and Japan posted a strong increase of 40 percent and 17 percent, respectively, according to the report.