New rules intended to cool the real estate market by making it harder for foreigners to buy property, were approved by the State Council Monday. According to the new regulations, foreign individuals and companies will only be able to purchase residential property for their �own use or own habitation� and individual buyers must use their real names when doing so. A foreign firm will need to have registered capital of at least 50% the value of a property it is buying, provided the total investment comes to more than US$10 million. Analysts told the Financial Times that the measures would have minimal impact, one source pointing out that foreign investors already provide more than half the capital for purchases by themselves as they are unable to borrow so much money from Chinese banks. However, they did suggest that the rules could foster a climate of uncertainty among real estate investors. State Council figures show a 28% increase in foreign investment in Chinese property during the first six months of the year, much of which has been driven by expectation of further appreciation in the yuan. For more, see the Editors' Blog.