The article gives a number, stating that Chinese nationals account for about 11% of home buyers in the US. That's a nationwide figure, and I'd guess the proportion is higher in the Bay Area than it is in the national aggregate. Up to the reader to determine whether 11% constitutes a significant or manipulative force in the market.

Followup questions I'd have: 1) Historically, what proportion of SF or nationwide housing is sold to foreign buyers? 2) Historically, what proportion of that figure is sold to Chinese buyers? Especially curious about #1. If the Chinese are just taking the place of yesterday's big foreign buyers (Russian, Japanese, or whoever), then we can put this into a typical perspective. If indeed they're raising the overall percentage, and not just their own representation within it, that's a more compelling statistic in favor of the author's thesis. Either way, I would have liked a bit more analysis in the piece.