China Economy

India's share of global savings rose from 3.3 per cent in 1992 to 10.3 per cent in 2025, placing it ahead of the US in PPP terms

China's economy slowed sharply to 4.3 per cent in the second quarter, its lowest since 2022, weighed down by stagnant domestic demand and higher energy costs linked to the US-Iran war offsetting the robust export growth. China's gross domestic product (GDP) grew 4.7 per cent year on year in the first half of 2026, generating around 69.57 trillion yuan (about USD 10.25 trillion) in output, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) announced on Wednesday. But the world's second-largest economy expanded by 4.3 per cent in the April-June quarter, slowing from 5 per cent growth in the first quarter, falling below China's annual growth target. The first full quarter of GDP data since the start of the US-Iran war in February marks the lowest quarterly expansion since the end of 2022, the period when China emerged from its strict Covid-19 restrictions. The GDP data came a day after official customs figures showed China's exports surged by 27 per cent year-on-year in June, underscoring the ..

GDP grew 4.3% from a year ago, according to data released by the National Bureau of Statistics, below the bottom of this year's official target range of 4.5% to 5%

Chinese mercantilism has been more globally consequential than any other economic shock or policy choice in reshaping the world this millennium

China's exports accelerated in June, jumping 27 per cent from a year earlier, its customs agency said Tuesday, driven by strong demand due to the boom in artificial intelligence. The increase in exports in June was much better than economists had expected. Exports rose 19.4 per cent year-on-year in May. Imports in June surged 36 per cent, stronger than May's 27.4 per cent year-on-year growth. China's exports of vehicles, especially EVs, and other tech-related products have boomed as rapid expansion of use of AI increases demand for semiconductors and other electronic equipment. The strength in export manufacturing has helped to offset weakness in domestic demand.

Only state-owned companies were ​permitted to export gasoline, diesel and jet fuel in the past few months while it remains unclear if the lifting of export curbs will ‌continue in August

20 Japanese firms have been placed on a control list, which prohibits Chinese and foreign exporters from selling to them dual-use items made in China

The reading beat expectations of a 4.3 per centincrease in a Reuters poll

Retail sales, a key gauge of consumption, slid 0.6 per cent in May, reversing April's 0.2 per cent rise and below the estimated 0.0 per cent, the first monthly fall since December 2022

Exports expanded 19.4 per cent from a year earlier in U.S. dollar value terms, customs data showed on Tuesday, outpacing the 14.1 per cent gain in April and a 15 per cent rise tipped by economists

The business models, based on flying $5 dresses from Chinese factories to shoppers, were already under pressure after Trump introduced tariffs and axed customs waivers on low-value parcels last year

The RatingDog China General Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI), compiled by S&P Global, fell to 51.8 in May from 52.2 in April, but was slightly above analysts' forecast of 51.6

The official manufacturing purchasing managers' index (PMI) dropped to 50 from 50.3 in April, straddling the 50-mark separating growth from contraction

Retail sales, a gauge of consumption, rose just 0.2 per cent in April, cooling sharply from 1.7 per cent in March and marking the weakest gain since December 2022

The producer price index (PPI) increased 2.8 per cent from a year earlier, National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) data showed

Today's Opinion wrap tracks RBI's bank board concerns, India's satellite strides, gaps in economic guidance, China's consumption debate, and a memoir on rural farming journeys

China's economy accelerated in the first quarter of this year, expanding 5% from a year earlier as it largely shrugged off impacts from the Iran war so far, according to data released Thursday. The January-March data released by the government, covering a period during which the Iran war began, was better than what economists expected and was up from the 4.5% growth seen in the October-December quarter. Economists expect China to be able to weather short term impacts from the Iran war, now in its seventh week. The war is pushing energy prices higher, worsening inflation and impacting global economic growth. But longer term, areas including global demand for Chinese exports could take a hit. The International Monetary Fund this week lowered its economic growth forecast for China to a 4.4% expansion for 2026. Chinese leaders last month set an economic growth target of 4.5 per cent to 5% for this year, the slowest since 1991.

China's exports grew 2.5 per cent in March from a year ago, significantly slowing from the previous two months as uncertainties rose from the Iran war and its impact on energy prices and global demand. The March export data released by China's customs agency Tuesday missed analysts' estimates and was sharply down from the 21.8 per cent export growth recorded for January and February. Imports last month surged 27.8 per cent, up from the 19.8 per cent year-on-year increase in the first two months of this year. Technology-related exports including a jump in shipments of semiconductors from China on the global artificial intelligence boom have powered its robust exports in early 2026, but economists say impacts from the prolonged Iran war could affect overall global demand for Chinese exports this year.

China is poised to benefit from the Iran war as global energy disruptions accelerate a shift away from fossil fuels and toward clean technologies and renewable power, industries that China dominates. Most of the oil and gas from the now mostly shut Strait of Hormuz was Asia-bound. Asian nations are scrambling to conserve energy and bolster dwindling reserves. As a temporary ceasefire teeters, gasoline prices in the US and Europe are spiking. While most of Asia is hit hard, China will likely benefit from the fossil fuel disruptions despite being the biggest purchaser of Iranian oil. China leads the world in battery, solar and electric vehicle exports, and its industries are forecast to face a rise in demand for renewable products. Before the start of the Iran war in late February, China's lead in clean technologies was lengthening. The US under President Donald Trump scaled back on renewable energy and leaned on its vast oil and gas resources, promoting energy exports to achieve what

An input-cost shock to the world's largest manufacturing base threatens jobs and wages, with around a quarter of firms already operating at a loss after years of overcapacity and price wars