China targets ‘zombies’ with regulatory headshots to kill off subsidised laggards

China’s top market regulator is intensifying its crackdown on debt-laden “zombie companies” – rolling out a pilot programme in seven economic hubs to facilitate the forced exit of unprofitable firms often propped up by government subsidies or bank loans. The move signals a broadening of Beijing’s campaign against local protectionism and the low-quality vicious competition that officials say result