This marks the second sustainability-linked panda bond issuance, after the Rmb1bn offering from CapitaLand Investment earlier this year in March.

The Chinese internet giant’s recent ride hasn't been easy amid geopolitical tensions, a gloomy domestic economy and the high cost of capital. FA spoke to analysts and economists to assess the firm's outlook, as Alibaba drives its break-up strategy.

The regional leader in green bonds will keep looking at labelling and internationally aligned standards, such as the common ground taxonomy with the EU, experts discussed at ICMA's inaugural summit. Meanwhile transition finance taxonomies are being rolled out in Chinese provinces.

The deal marks the first facility arranged in Asia’s syndicated loan market to combine both green and sustainability-linked features, and the first such issuance by a Chinese multinational.

Only few weeks into the new year and the market has seen a huge surge in US dollar offshore bonds issued by Chinese real estate firms, but this can’t last experts claim.

Understanding what lies behind the mask is becoming ever more important as a wider variety of credits from across the region access the international bond markets.

Investors may need to display more cunning to navigate the Asian high yield bond markets during 2020 as the approaching Year of the Rat ushers in a heavy pipeline of redemptions.

Make hay while the sun shines appears to be the motto for Asia’s international bond markets in 2020 as investment grade issuers and insurance funds see greater value in longer-dated tenors.