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China’s HNA Group, squeezed on cash, looks to turn corner

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HAIKOU: HNA Group chairman Chen Feng has expressed confidence that China’s aviation-to-financial services conglomerate will manage its cash crunch, and continue to receive support from banks and other financial institutions this year.


The liquidity problem exists “because we made a big number of mergers”, even as the external environment became more challenging and China’s economy “transitioned from rapid to moderate growth”, impacting the group’s access to new financing, Chen said in a rare meeting.


“Rate hikes by the Federal Reserve and deleveraging in China caused a liquidity shortage at the end of the year for many Chinese enterprises,” Chen said. “We’re confident we’ll move past these difficulties and maintain sustained, healthy and stable development.”


It was a rare acknowledgement by a top company official that HNA is facing financing problems. In recent weeks, local banks have privately and publicly voiced concern after HNA failed to repay some obligations, including aircraft lease payments, and as surging debt drove up the cost of the group’s short-term fund raising to new highs.


Significant moves are expected. HNA’s flagship Hainan Airlines Holding Co, Bohai Capital Holding Co, the parent of aircraft leasing firm Avolon and Tianjin Tianhai Investment, which controls California-based Ingram Micro Electronics, each have suspended trading pending major announcements.


Ingram Micro Inc, which HNA bought for roughly $6 billion, is part of the $50 billion worth of transactions the conglomerate announced over the last two years.


They also included big stakes in Hilton Hotels Worldwide Holdings and Deutsche Bank.


HNA’s chief executive, Adam Tan, said in November that the company was selling some real estate and other assets to improve liquidity and comply with national policy.


Chen, speaking at his office in Haikou, southern China, where HNA Group has its headquarters, said he wasn’t involved in decision making for any transactions and declined to comment on fundraising plans.


After years of “extraordinary development”, Chen said that HNA was now focused more on integrating operations, creating synergies between resources at home and overseas, and improving group management.


“Our business has become so big that we need to improve efficiency,” said Chen. “The long-term goal remains unchanged, which is to become a world-class enterprise,” he said. “2018 is our year of effectiveness.”


HNA’s leverage has alarmed some analysts and its “aggressive financing policy” caused S&P Global Ratings in November to downgrade its assessment of the company’s creditworthiness.


HNA in recent weeks also has raised additional financing by selling expensive short-term debt and pledging more of its shares for loans.


Group borrowing, including bank loans and bonds, surged by more than one-third over the first 11 months last year to 637.5 billion yuan ($99.14 billion), according to a China bond market filing. Group assets reached 1.2 trillion yuan at the end of June, according to a separate bond market filing. — Reuters


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