‘China’s Lehman Brothers moment’: Evergrande crisis rattles economy

President Xi Jinping faces serious test of his financial reforms as struggles of property giant send ripples through real-estate sector

The crisis engulfing Evergrande, China's second-biggest property company, is the greatest test yet of President Xi Jinping's effort to reform the debt-ridden behemoths of the Chinese economy. It could also be the most significant test that China's financial system has faced in many years.

As angry protesters occupied the headquarters of the troubled property developer in recent weeks, some analysts have described the Evergrande crisis as China's Lehman Brothers moment". Only this time it's a credit-fuelled housebuilder that suddenly can't pay its $300bn debts, rather than a blue-chip investment bank that many assumed was too big to fail but was instead thrown to the wolves 13 years ago.