DETROIT, Dec 4 (Reuters) - General Motors ( GM ) told

shareholders on Wednesday that it would record two non-cash

charges totaling more than $5 billion on its joint venture in

China, one related to the restructuring of the operation and

another reflecting its reduced value.

GM expects the charge for restructuring costs to be $2.6 to

$2.9 billion and the charge for reduced joint-venture value to

be $2.7 billion.

GM partners with SAIC Motors in China to build

Buick, Chevrolet and Cadillac vehicles.

The company's board of directors determined that the

non-cash charges were necessary "in light of the finalization of

a new business forecast and certain restructuring actions" with

the joint venture, according to a company filing.

GM has not disclosed details of the restructuring.

Most of the charges will be recorded in the company's

fourth-quarter earnings, reducing net income but not adjusted

results, according to a company spokesperson.

CEO Mary Barra has been transforming GM's operations in

China as the former profit engine slipped to a loss in the last

year. Barra told investors in October that they would see

improvements from this effort by the end of the year, saying

there would be "a significant reduction in dealer inventory and

modest improvements in sales and share."

The automaker lost about $350 million in the region in the

first three quarters of this year.

In March, Reuters reported that SAIC aimed to cut thousands

of jobs, including at its joint-venture with GM.

Barra previously warned that the China market was becoming

untenable for many corporations.

"It's a difficult market right now. And frankly, it's

unsustainable, because the amount of companies losing money

there cannot continue indefinitely," Barra said in July.

Stiff competition from domestic manufacturers in the

country along with a price war has already had visible effects.

Sales at SAIC-GM slumped 59% in the first 11 months this

year to 370,989 units while local new energy vehicle champion

BYD sold more than 10 times of the cars in the same period. The

GM joint venture peaked in 2018 with an annual sales of 2

million cars.

Volkswagen, which lost its best-selling brand title in China

to BYD in 2022, is doubling down on efforts to deepen ties with

Chinese partners including Xpeng Motor and SAIC for EV

technologies to counter its flagging sales in its biggest

market. The German automaker and SAIC agreed recently to extend

their joint venture contract by a decade to 2040.

Japanese carmaker Nissan Motor ( NSANF ) is also cutting

9,000 jobs and significantly reducing its manufacturing capacity

due to its slipping sales in China and the U.S.

In Detroit, GM's cross-town rival Ford Motor ( F ) is

transforming its presence in China to become a vehicle export

hub, though some analysts are urging Detroit's automakers to cut

their losses and exit the world's largest auto market

altogether.