Transcription of Finance News Network Interview with Aquaint Capital Holdings Limited (ASX:AQU) Chairman, Yang Po Tan
 
 
John Treadgold:Hello I’m John Treadgold for the Finance News Network and joining me from Aquaint Capital Holdings Limited (ASX:AQU) is Chairman, Yang Po Tan. Yang Po, welcome back to FNN.
 
Yang Po Tan: Thanks for having me.
 
John Treadgold: Aquaint has recently announced new growth opportunities in China. How have these opportunities come about?
 
Yang Po Tan: Our Company strategy typically is contrarian; we do the opposite of what people do. So for example, China’s property market has been in the doldrums for a while. So people have been staying away from the market. However, recently China has been implementing policies to prop up the economy and also stimulate the property market, which we think that means soon, the market will rebound. So that’s why we have decided to focus on China right now.
 
John Treadgold:The Company is looking at moving new income yielding assets into its portfolio. What kind of assets are you considering?
 
Yang Po Tan: Principally, we are looking at commercial and our criterion is such that the asset must have a minimum of net eight per cent return, before we consider it. So we are looking at principally, first and second tier cities, or the outskirts of the first tier cities.
 
John Treadgold: When do you expect to have control of the new assets and what sort of price are we looking at?
 
Yang Po Tan: We are hoping to secure the first one by the third quarter of this year. Our target will probably be between,10 to 20 million Aussie dollars.
 
John Treadgold: Can you tell us more about what has attracted Acquaint to the Chinese property market?
 
Yang Po Tan: China is a very big market. I think anybody who is doing business, or in property, will always like to look at China. However, timing is critical. So in the past China has been doing very well, so we have not really been involved in China. But now like I said, because of the market turn, we think it’s a good timing and a good opportunity to get into China.
 
John Treadgold: Looking more long term, what are your plans in China?
 
Yang Po Tan: Effectively we are already, because of our focus on China right now; we are effectively restarting in an office in China,so that to show our commitment and our focus in the market. And typically in Asia especially, China has always been seen as the market to be in. So that’s what we want to focus on, probably within the next 18 months, to acquire a lot more property and potentially looking at growth also, not just in China, but somewhere around.
 
John Treadgold: That leads on to my final question. What other assets outside of China is the Company focused on?
 
Yang Po Tan: Besides China and the surrounding within the next 18 months, we are also looking at potentially, after the 18 months, maybe look at fast growing countries or emerging countries like Indonesia, Thailand. So these are also countries that we are focusing on.
 
John Treadgold: Yang Po Tan, thank you for the update from Aquaint Capital Holdings.
 
Yang Po Tan: Thank you very much for the time.
 
 
Ends