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BEIJING-Are your investment bags packed for a trip to the FarEast? You might want to rethink your travel plans. The Chinesegovernment plans to restrict property acquisitions by foreigninvestors in a bid to limit speculation and prevent a propertybubble, a government official says.Lin Zheying, deputy directorgeneral of the commerce ministry's Foreign InvestmentAdministration, told a press conference that new rules spelling outwhat type of overseas investor can buy property may be announcedthis month.

The regulations may threaten plans by investors includingCitigroup Inc. and Morgan Stanley to increase holdings of Chinesereal estate after Shanghai housing prices more than doubled since1999. Premier Wen Jiabao has curbed lending to cool an economy thatgrew 10.3% in the first quarter and to prevent a drop in propertyprices from causing loan defaults.