China Economy

Births in China fell to a record low in 2025 despite subsidies and policy shifts, as young Chinese delay marriage and parenthood amid high costs, job uncertainty and long working hours

The world's second-largest economy expanded 4.5 per cent last quarter from a year earlier, the slowest pace since the reopening from Covid lockdowns in late 2022

Investors are weighing a move into stocks, wealth management products or insurance, which would align with Beijing's efforts to cultivate sustainable market gains to support the broader economy

Thanks to fresh progress in sectors from commercial rockets to robotics and flying cars, Chinese tech shares have begun the new year with a bang

US businesses are more concerned about China's slowing economy than trade friction, according to a survey by the American Chamber of Commerce in China released Friday. Of 368 companies responding to the survey, 64% viewed slowing growth in the world's second largest economy as their top worry, while 58% cited US-China trade tensions as a key challenge. One reason for that may be that many US companies have businesses focused on China's huge market of about 1.4 billion people that do not rely on exports back to the US Economists expect China's economy to slow further this year after expanding at about a 5% annual pace in 2025. Growth in exports outpaced imports last year, leading to a record trade surplus of nearly $1.2 trillion. The report said business sentiment has improved from last year. More than half of those responding estimated that they made a profit in 2025, up from less than half last year. It has been a rocky ride for American businesses in recent years, especially aft

China's record trade surplus is less a sign of strength than of a stalled growth model-one that deepens global imbalances and fuels the next wave of trade conflict

Despite a global backlash, Chinese companies aggressively sought out customers in other markets when shipments to the US plunged after President Donald Trump hiked tariffs

With a record wave of deal-making, IPO activity and fresh venture capital flowing into Chinese biotech in 2024-25, prices of lab monkeys used for drug testing are rising again

Beijing has signalled it intends to deepen engagement with Latin America, issuing its first official policy paper on the region in nearly a decade as Washington moves to reassert influence

China's private consumption expenditure has been stagnating in the range of 34-40 per cent for the last two decades

Weak spending behaviour has become more common in China as households worry about income stability and falling asset values

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday hailed his country's technological progress in areas such as artificial intelligence and semiconductors while once again insisting his country would annex self-ruled Taiwan. During his New Year's Eve address broadcast Wednesday evening by state media, Xi praised the country's advancements in key sectors including military tech and space exploration. Images ranging from humanoid robots performing kung fu to new hydropower projects rolled on the screen as he spoke. We sought to energize high-quality development through innovation, Xi said while thanking Chinese people for contributing to the country's economic growth over the past five years. China plans its economic development over periods of five years and is preparing to discuss its new five-year plan at the upcoming legislative session in March. The country is set to speed up self-reliance in science and technology as the United States imposes increasingly tight controls on access to ...

Xi did not unveil any specific policies in his New Year's messages, but vowed to improve the quality of the economy while maintaining "reasonable growth", and reiterated his "common prosperity" pledge

The official manufacturing purchasing managers' index rose to 50.1 from 49.2 last month, according to data released by the National Bureau of Statistics

By some measures, China's economy is looking resilient, with strong exports and breakthroughs in artificial intelligence and other advanced technologies. But that's not how it feels for many ordinary Chinese, who have been enduring the strain from weak property prices and uncertainty over their jobs and incomes. While some industries are thriving thanks to government support for technologies such as AI and electric vehicles, owners of small businesses report tough times as their customers cut back on spending. Some economists believe that the world's second largest economy is growing more slowly than official figures suggest, even though China may hit its official 2025 annual growth target of about 5%. Beijing has averted a damaging full blown trade war with Washington after President Donald Trump struck a truce with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, but many longer-term challenges remain. Chinese consumers are feeling the pinch -------------------------------------------- Business is v

Profits fell 13.1 per cent year-on-year in November, accelerating from a 5.5 per cent drop in October, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) data released on Saturday

The government in Beijing has been far too hesitant in carrying out essential reform, and is now facing the consequences of that delay

China's global goods surplus has surged past $1 trillion, driven by booming auto and battery exports, and a competitive edge from weak domestic demand and currency dynamics

The IMF upgraded its China growth forecast for 2025 to 5%, from 4.8%, citing the production powerhouse's strong outbound shipments, also lifting its 2026 forecast to 4.5%, from 4.2%

China's exports returned to growth in November following an unexpected contraction the month before, although shipments to the United States dropped nearly 29% from a year earlier in an eighth straight month of double-digit declines. Overall exports from China were 5.9% higher than last year in November in dollar terms, customs data released on Monday showed, at $330.3 billion, better than economists' estimates. That was an improvement from a 1.1% contraction in October. While exports from China to the US have fallen for most of the year, shipments have surged to other destinations, including Southeast Asia, Africa and Latin America. China's imports increased 1.9% in November, better than October's 1% growth, even though a persistent downturn in the property sector is still weighing on consumer spending and business investment. A year-long trade truce between China and the US was reached at a meeting between US President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping in late October in