Page 2 - China Economic Growth

US firms worry more about China's economy than trade tensions: Survey

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 2025 trade surplus hits record $1.2 trillion despite Trump tariffs

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

China's Xi hails nation's tech progress, renews pledge to take back Taiwan

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 ...

China's factory activity snaps record slump on festive stockpiling

Still, the data should give policymakers cause for optimism after choosing to see out 2025 without major additional stimulus to meet the full-year growth target of around 5 per cent

China's factory activity rises in December, ending record 8-month slump

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

Best of BS Opinion: India must learn from China, support new entrants

Today's Best of BS Opinion looks at India's evolving trade strategy, rising tensions with Bangladesh, lessons from China's manufacturing boom, food loss challenges, and the impact of digital platforms

Why China rose and India lost ground in the global middle-class map

An unambitious elite spoiled by finance - plus a working class held back by inadequate education and inequities of caste and gender - are stymying the emergence of a global middle class in India

Best of BS Opinion: China must find political will to rebalance economy

Today's opinion pieces offer a sharp mix of macro and culture: China's demand shortfall, Prada's Kolhapuri move, the rupee's policy trilemma, why RBI needs better data, and a candid chess memoir.

How cars, batteries and low-cost goods shaped China's $1tn trade surplus

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

China's factory activity slumps for longest stretch on record in Nov

The official manufacturing purchasing managers' index was 49.2, remaining below the 50 mark that separates growth and contraction for an eighth month

China heads for longest slowdown in consumption growth since post-covid

Top government and Communist Party officials regularly state that they're committed to lifting domestic spending - something the US and other major trading partners have also long demanded

China's banks adopt revolving-door repayment model amid weak credit demand

To meet official lending targets, many Chinese banks are resorting to instant loan tactics where clients take out loans briefly and repay them soon after, masking low credit demand

China doubles down on innovation, self-reliance to counter US rivalry

China is using American pressure as a catalyst to accelerate domestic innovation, by pumping money into its local firms

China's producer price deflation eases in October as consumer prices rise

China's economic growth slowed to its weakest in a year in the third quarter, and the youth unemployment rate remained elevated despite a dip in September

China's exports fall 1.1% in Oct, hit by 25% drop in shipments to US

China's exports contracted in October, hit by a 25% drop in shipments to the United States, the government reported Friday. Persisting trade tensions with Washington may get a respite in the final quarter of the year after President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping agreed last week to de-escalate the trade war between the two largest economies. But trade friction still appears to be casting a pall on demand elsewhere. Customs data show a 1.1% drop in China's global exports in October compared to a year earlier, the weakest since February, following an 8.3% increase in September. Imports rose 1% last month from the year before, compared with 7.4% growth in September. China's shipments to the US have already fallen by double-digits for seven consecutive months, while it has diversified its export markets to regions such as Southeast Asia and Africa. The October decline also was affected by a high base for the same month in 2024, when exports growth soared more than 12.6%,

China's October factory growth slows as new orders weaken: PMI data

On the price side, the divergence of rising raw material prices and falling finished goods prices remains, keeping corporate profit margins under pressure

China's ageing society is creating a new workforce: The hospital companion

China's ageing crisis and overburdened hospitals have given rise to a new service industry of paid companions who assist elderly patients through daunting medical routines

China's industrial profits rise for second consecutive month in September

A 21.6 per cent increase in industrial profits last month, the fastest pace since November 2023, followed a 20.4 per cent jump in August, data from the National Bureau of Statistics showed

China's economy slows to 4.8% in Jul-Sep amid trade tensions, weak demand

China's economy expanded at the slowest annual pace in a year in July- September, growing 4.8 per cent, weighed down by trade tensions with the United States and slack domestic demand. The July-September data was the weakest pace of growth since the third quarter of 2024, and compares with a 5.2 per cent pace of growth in the previous quarter, the government said in a report Monday. In January-September, the world's second largest economy grew at a 5.2 per cent annual pace. Despite US President Donald Trump's higher tariffs on imports from China, the country's exports have remained relatively strong as companies shifted their sales to other world markets. Tensions between Beijing and Washington remain elevated, and it's unclear if Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping will go ahead with a proposed meeting during a regional summit at the end of this month. Xi and other ruling Communist Party members are convening one of China's most important political meetings for the year on Monday,

Chinese export boom can't stop economy's slowdown in worst quarter of 2025

As trade tensions escalate with the US, weakness in investment, industrial output and retail sales is undermining momentum from record sales abroad