China's National Bureau of Statistics announced on September 15 that from January to August, national real estate development investment totaled 4,797.9 billion yuan, a year-on-year decrease of 19.9%. Of this, residential investment fell by 19.7%. During the same period, sales of new commercial properties amounted to 4,747.0 billion yuan, down 13.0% year-on-year; the sales area of new commercial properties decreased by 12.1% year-on-year. Additionally, funds raised by real estate development enterprises fell by 21.0% year-on-year, and the new housing starts area decreased by 24.8%.