Giant debuts could make China world IPO leader

China could become the world's biggest capital raiser this year, with more than US$52 billion in new listings expected, the Financial Times reported. The estimate was made by PricewaterhouseCoopers. At the beginning of the year mainland markets were only expected to raise US$26.3 billion, half the current estimate. Chinese companies have listed on mainland exchanges recently to exploit rising prices and become more liquid. Shenhua Energy, the country's largest coal miner, looks to be the next in a string of large public offerings this year. It plans to sell up to 1.8 billion shares on the Shanghai exchange, raising up to US$6.3 billion, potentially making it the largest mainland IPO yet. Shenhua is already listed in Hong Kong.