Temasek’s shrinking China holdings don’t mean it’s leaving

At first glance, Temasek’s long-standing ardour for China seems to be fading. Its mainland holdings have had a shocker of a year, but the Singapore fund is buying.

Is Temasek tempering its affection for China? The most striking figure beneath the 5.81% total shareholder return in the year to March 31, 2022, at Singapore’s equity-focused sovereign wealth vehicle was the fall in allocations to China from 29% to 22% of the portfolio in the space of just two years.

There is perhaps no other sovereign wealth vehicle in the world as exposed to China as Temasek, including China’s own sovereign fund (China Investment Corporation, which invests globally, some ring-fenced holdings in state banks notwithstanding).

Rohit SIPAHIMALANI_Temasek 400.jpg
Rohit Sipahimalani, Temasek

Over the years Temasek has been a big backer of companies, from China Construction Bank to Alibaba, and it has tended to do exceptionally well out of its positions.

Thanks for your interest in Euromoney!
To unlock this article: