The US’ proposed tripling of tariffs on Chinese steel imports would be the first move in a tit-for-tat struggle that would expand the bilateral trade war, analysts said – and fuel grumblings over industrial overcapacity.
Prominent government adviser Liu Yuanchun says the immediate future will be marked by disequilibrium, and more non-economic risks are emerging than economic ones, after first-quarter GDP growth impresses.
While first-quarter GDP data shows China is on course to meet its full-year economic growth target, policymakers are still being called on to bolster demand and introduce stronger policy support.
China’s widely watched gross domestic product (GDP) figure beat expectations in the first quarter after rising by 5.3 per cent year on year despite ongoing challenges.
German businesses operating in China have said they face ‘unfair competition’, complicating the already tense relationship between the two countries in advance of a visit from Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
US Treasury secretary says Beijing needs to make policy changes, while warning that Washington and its allies fear ‘global spillovers’ from China’s trade actions.
Veteran economist Wu Jinglian was asked for his views on how China should proceed in transforming its economy, focusing on the relation between President Xi Jinping’s ‘new quality productive forces’ and reform and opening-up policies.
A business conditions index, which surveys small and medium-sized firms in China’s private sector, rose from 51.6 in February to 52.1 in March, echoing modest gains in manufacturing activities last month.
Peking University economics professor Cao Heping says overproduction of consumer and industrial goods, as well as overinvestment, is a big problem for China’s economy as it seeks hi-tech development.
China’s consumer price index grows by 0.7 per cent year on year in February, beating forecasts and marking first rise following six months of decline, but factory-gate prices fall for 17th straight month in what analyst describes as ‘warning signal’.
China’s State Council vows to further support policies to optimise payment methods and pledges wider support for currency exchange services as part of efforts to address hurdles faced by foreigners.
A CPPCC member has suggested the creation of an agency to coordinate information being gathered by the devices.
The C919, China’s domestically produced passenger jet, will fly another commercial route domestically – an indication of Beijing’s widening ambitions for its aviation manufacturing.
New head of China’s securities regulator has promised rigorous enforcement of the law and a firm hand against those who break it in his first press conference.
Head of a major state-owned chip maker says his firm has a ‘long way’ to go to catch up with American AI companies.
China’s finance, commerce, banking, development and securities heads faced the press in Beijing on Wednesday during the annual ‘two sessions’.
A Chinese government economic adviser says local governments have shown a lack of ‘awareness’ in their economic planning, and has urged them to make use of existing industrial foundations and local resources when investing in China’s digital economy.
China’s exports of frozen and fresh truffles surged by 58.6 per cent from a year earlier in 2023 amid increasing efforts to secure a foothold in the high-end food produce trade.
Striving to reduce local government debt while boosting China’s local-level economies through investment is seen as a conflicting approach, while a decline in construction machinery operations does not bode well.
China has spotlighted what it calls ‘new productive forces’ as the key to future growth, repackaging the familiar desire for home-grown innovation and technological development with new rhetoric laying responsibility for economic health at certain sectors’ feet.
Russian officials say they are working ‘to solve’ the issue after reports some Chinese financial institutions had suspended transactions.
If troublesome trends among local officials are not addressed, Beijing’s plans to develop a unified domestic market will be effectively blocked, according to prominent political scientist Zheng Yongnian.
A short ban on ride-hailing services at one of China’s busiest airports has generated concerns that other ‘sweeping’ regulatory moves could be in the pipeline, throttling consumer confidence and blunting economic growth.
The party is facing internal pressure, especially from its younger members, for renewal – including a review of its stance on cross-strait relations.
Whatever the fallout, passing bills will be much tougher for new leader William Lai, analysts say.
All eyes will be on Beijing’s reaction to the victory of someone it sees as a hardcore separatist and the issue threatens to further cloud relations with the US.
Around an hour after the polls had closed, some opposition supporters had already accepted that it was not to be their day.
Voter turnout is expected to exceed the 74.9 per cent reported in 2020, thanks to good weather and fierce three-way race.
