China Economy

China's record trade surplus ensures global turmoil will continue

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

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

How China's biotech research boom is sending lab monkey prices higher

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

Why US and China are contesting for influence in Latin America now

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

The Chinese conundrum: Consumption glut versus export-driven growth

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

Why are China's restaurants struggling to recover from the slowdown?

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

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 ...

Xi vows more proactive macro policies for China's economy in 2026

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

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

China's economy shows resilience, but ordinary citizens feel strain

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

China industrial profits tumble at fastest pace in a year amid weak demand

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

Sustainable growth path: China needs to do more to rebalance its economy

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

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

IMF urges China to cut exports, boost consumption with bold reforms

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 grow 5.9% in November despite 29% drop in US shipments

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

Why China's electric trucks are becoming world's biggest diesel disruptor

China's rapid adoption of electric heavy trucks is already denting diesel use and could reset global fuel-demand trajectories faster than analysts expected

Reform panel moots easing restrictions on investments from China

The panel, in an internal report finalised in October, had suggested that the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) weigh the options and take a final call by December 31

China can't afford to ignore its army of gig workers amid job crunch

A bestselling memoir exposes the harsh reality of China's delivery workforce and why policymakers must prioritise protections as the economy pivots to high tech

China's diesel trucks shifting to electric; this could change global demand

China is replacing its diesel trucks with electric models faster than expected, potentially reshaping global fuel demand and the future of heavy transport. In 2020, nearly all new trucks in China ran on diesel. By the first half of 2025, battery-powered trucks accounted for 22% of new heavy truck sales, up from 9.2% in the same period in 2024, according to Commercial Vehicle World, a Beijing-based trucking data provider. The British research firm BMI forecasts electric trucks will reach nearly 46% of new sales this year and 60% next year. Heavy trucks carry the lifeblood of modern economies. They also contribute significantly to global emissions of carbon-dioxide: In 2019, road freight generated a third of all transport-related carbon emissions. Trucking has been considered hard to decarbonise since electric trucks with heavy batteries can carry less cargo than those using energy-dense diesel. Proponents of liquefied natural gas have viewed it as a less polluting option while ...

Why Chinese shoppers are choosing local luxury over premium foreign brands?

As the economy cools, spending on foreign premium brands has stalled. Instead, when Chinese consumers do splash out, they're turning to homegrown labels