NEW YORK (Reuters) -- China Evergrande, which is the world's most heavily indebted property developer and became the poster child for China's property crisis, on Thursday filed for protection from creditors in a U.S. bankruptcy court.

The company sought protection under Chapter 15 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code, which shields non-U.S. companies that are undergoing restructurings from creditors that hope to file lawsuits or tie up assets in the United States.