The global power balance is shifting as China and Russia assert dominance in technology and diplomacy
The import volumes included purchases under ordinary trade, which are subject to import duty and consumption tax, as well as imports into bonded storage
Housing prices in China slumped in the first four months of the year, although factory output rose nearly 7%, according to data released Friday, as the country prepares to announce fresh measures to reinvigorate its ailing property industry. Officials of the National Bureau of Statistics acknowledged that domestic demand spending by consumers and businesses remained insufficient and said the government was considering further ways to revitalize the property industry after housing prices sank 9.8% in January-April from a year earlier. Liu Aihua, spokesperson for the bureau, said that in keeping with policies set by the Communist Party leadership, there was a need to find ways to balance supply and demand, meet public expectations for high-quality housing and seize the opportunity to build a new model of high-quality development of the real estate sector. The State Council, China's Cabinet, said it would hold a news conference later Friday focusing on the property industry. China's
However, retail sales, a gauge of consumption, rose 2.3% in April, slowing from a 3.1% increase in March
Market participants have been waiting for weeks for details of the issuance pipeline of these special treasury bonds
Shipments from China grew 1.5% year-on-year last month
The other key emerging markets, the survey said, are southeast Asia, where 60 per cent of the respondents were willing to put in 50 per cent more investment in the next three years
Caixin/S&P Global services purchasing managers' index (PMI) eased to 52.5 from a 52.7 in March, remaining in expansionary territory for the 16th straight month
The property market accounted for about a quarter of China's economic activity at its peak
Nasdaq futures advanced more than 1%, while S&P 500 futures rose 0.85%
About a third of China's urban population is estimated to be at risk due to land subsidence, shows a new finding which researchers said is indicative of a global phenomenon. China's urban area below the sea level could triple by 2120, potentially affecting 55 to 128 million residents, it found. Using satellite data, the research team studied 82 cities, including Shanghai and Beijing, with a collective population of nearly 700 million people. The team, including researchers from the University of East Anglia, UK, found that 45 per cent of the urban land area analysed was sinking, with 16 per cent sinking at the rate of 10 millimetres a year. Hotspots included Beijing and the coastal city of Tianjin, they said. The study estimated that 270 million urban residents could be affected, with nearly 70 million experiencing rapid subsidence of 10 millimetres a year or more. The findings are published in the journal 'Science'. Caused mainly by human activities in cities, land sinking can a
China has been using grey zone tactics more frequently since September 2020, gradually expanding the number of military planes and navy vessels in the Taiwan area
The democratically elected government of Taiwan rejects China's sovereignty claims and says only the island's people can decide their future
On a quarter-by-quarter basis, GDP grew 1.6 per cent in the first quarter, above the forecast for growth of 1.4 per cent
The People's Bank of China (PBOC) has pledged to step up policy support for the economy this year and promote a rebound in prices
China has surged sales to Russia of machine tools, microelectronics and other technology that Moscow in turn is using to produce missiles, tanks, aircraft and other weaponry for use in its war against Ukraine, according to a US assessment. Two senior Biden administration officials, who discussed the sensitive findings Friday on the condition of anonymity, said that in 2023 about 90 per cent of Russia's microelectronics came from China, which Russia has used to make missiles, tanks and aircraft. Nearly 70 per cent of Russia's approximately USD 900 million in machine tool imports in the last quarter of 2023 came from China. Chinese and Russian entities have also been working to jointly produce unmanned aerial vehicles inside Russia, and Chinese companies are likely providing Russia with nitrocellulose needed to make propellants weapons, the officials said. Beijing is also working with Russia to improve its satellite and other space-based capabilities for use in Ukraine, a development
The Chinese commerce official said it would be the fourth investigation initiated by the European Union in the past two months using foreign subsidies legislation against Chinese companies
China's Finance Ministry denounced a report by Fitch Ratings that kept its sovereign debt rated at A+ but downgraded its outlook to negative, saying Wednesday that China's deficit is at a moderate and reasonable level and risks are under control. Risks to China's public finances are rising, Fitch said, as Beijing works to resolve mounting local and regional government debts and to shift away from heavy reliance on its troubled property industry to drive economic growth. But while slower growth is adding to the challenges of coping with heavy borrowing, Fitch said it kept China's A+ rating due to its large and diversified economy, its vital role in global trade and its huge foreign exchange reserves. The Finance Ministry said it was a pity that Fitch had downgraded its sovereign debt and faulted its methods, saying it had failed to take into account Beijing's moves toward appropriately intensifying, improving quality and efficiency of its government spending. In the long run, ...
Say foreign companies only shifting incremental investments from China, not uprooting themselves.
"The relaxations are meaningful. This is the government's response to foreign companies' complaints," said Tom Nunlist, an analyst at consultancy Trivium