China Urges Evergrande to Avoid Default, Repay Retail Investors

Financial regulators in Beijing issued a broad set of instructions to China Evergrande Group, encouraging the embattled developer to take all measures possible to avoid a near-term default on dollar bonds while focusing on completing unfinished properties and repaying individual investors.

In a recent meeting with Evergrande representatives, regulators said the company should communicate proactively with bondholders to avoid a default, but didn’t give more specific guidance, a person familiar with the matter said. The developer has an $83.5 million coupon due Thursday, with a 30-day grace period to make the payment.

There’s no indication that regulators offered financial ...