-
Economy /

China Economy

Related Topics:
Belt and Road Initiative
Asia housing and property
US-China trade war
China’s plummeting birth rates present a daunting challenge, as the nation’s newborn population fell below 8 million in 2025 for the first time since 1949. Photo: AFP
China trade

What haunts China’s investors? Geopolitics and a demographic abyss, survey finds

Weak domestic demand, shrinking confidence in the property market and a declining fertility rate fuel caution among investors in China’s major hubs.

videocam
China manufacturing

As World Cup boosts merch demand, China’s small-goods capital Yiwu stays wary

videocam
China-EU relations

‘Mother of all trade deals’: EU pivots to India in historic trade shake-up

videocam
11
Luxury in China

As LVMH returns to growth, is the slump in China’s luxury market finally over?

LVMH saw its sales in China rise in the second half of 2025, as the vast Chinese luxury market shows signs of recovery.

videocam
Two shoppers view the handbags they just bought at a Louis Vuitton store in Shanghai. China’s luxury market is showing signs of recovery after a sharp decline in sales in 2024. Photo: Getty Images
Two shoppers view the handbags they just bought at a Louis Vuitton store in Shanghai. China’s luxury market is showing signs of recovery after a sharp decline in sales in 2024. Photo: Getty Images
China jobs

Is China about to end its after-school tutoring ban? A huge fine suggests not

Speculation was growing that Beijing would relax a ban on for-profit tutoring to boost the economy. Then a firm was hit with a US$9.7 million penalty.

videocam
Banking & finance

Trump says the US dollar can move like a yo-yo. Will Treasuries be left hanging?

With the US president levelling threats at enemies, allies and his own central bank, alternatives like gold and Chinese assets are gaining appeal.

videocam
14
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
China consumption

China’s consumer spending push faces major challenge – debt-averse households

Beijing has renewed its focus on boosting domestic demand in recent months, but households are cutting debt at fastest pace in years.

4
National retail sales grew by 3.7 per cent in 2025, below the 5 per cent GDP growth rate. Beijing has made boosting consumer spending a top policy priority in recent years, though results have been mixed. Photo: Xinhua
National retail sales grew by 3.7 per cent in 2025, below the 5 per cent GDP growth rate. Beijing has made boosting consumer spending a top policy priority in recent years, though results have been mixed. Photo: Xinhua
China manufacturing

Over 70% of European firms in China review supply chain strategies: survey

The findings show how European firms must maintain a delicate balancing act between China’s tight security and focus on self-reliance.

China's economic recovery

China tightens rail approvals as Xi warns on waste and ‘operational’ trouble

Intercity lines face stricter break-even rules, as the central government cracks down on ‘back-door’ metro projects and looks to curb redundant infrastructure spending.

videocam
4
US-China relations

China coming ‘closer’ to US as ‘global power’, European ex-leader says

Former Portuguese prime minister says Beijing is ‘scoring more points’ in a ‘volatile’ world through economic growth, diplomatic victories.

9
Jose Manuel Durao Barroso, former president of the European Commission and prime minister of Portugal from 2002 to 2004, delivers a keynote speech at the 19th Asian Financial Forum in Hong Kong. Photo: Eugene Lee
Gold in Hong Kong

Explainer | Why Hong Kong’s gold ambitions run through Shanghai

As Hong Kong and Shanghai deepen cooperation in the gold market, officials are hailing the agreement as ‘the dawn of a new chapter’.

Gold bricks displayed at Hong Kong Gold Exchange. Photo: Edmond So
Gold bricks displayed at Hong Kong Gold Exchange. Photo: Edmond So
Electric & new energy vehicles

Xpeng targets overseas sales surge in 2026 as China EV battle goes global

Guangzhou-based EV maker targets more than 90,000 overseas deliveries this year amid fierce competition at home.

China's economic recovery

China’s manufacturing powerhouse cuts 2026 GDP growth target after missing mark

Guangdong province, an industrial behemoth hit by property and global headwinds, shifts focus in a strategic pivot amid national reforms.

videocam
Belt and Road Initiative

China close to opening US$10 billion canal linking heartlands to Southeast Asia

The vast waterway in China’s southern Guangxi region is set to open before the end of 2026, according to state media reports.

24
The Pinglu Canal, which stretches 134km (83 miles) across China’s southwestern Guangxi region, is expected to boost trade ties between China and Southeast Asia. Photo: Xinhua
China trade

Beyond borders: Beijing equips Chinese firms for global stage amid trade jitters

Ministry of Commerce unveils new resource to help companies navigate the dos and don’ts of complex international markets, and policies will be rolled out appropriately.

videocam
Cranes unload containers from a ship at Huanghua Port in China’s Hebei province on January 15. Photo: Xinhua
Cranes unload containers from a ship at Huanghua Port in China’s Hebei province on January 15. Photo: Xinhua
China technology

‘Epoch-making’: Xi Jinping urges home-grown AI breakthroughs – but flags risks

The Chinese leader says emerging technologies bring huge opportunities, while warning officials against blind investment.

videocam
Mainland China

China needs silver and young spenders, plus policy support, for growth: HSBC

Longest Lunar New Year holiday ever will provide a tailwind, but growth could falter without more supportive measures, analysts say.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Commodities

Gold surge has analysts eyeing new highs after US$5,100 record

Safe-haven demand spikes amid de-dollarisation fears and supply-chain tensions, as gold buyers seek stability against growing macro uncertainties.

videocam
Analysts expect the price of gold to continue climbing this year, building on a safe-haven surge. Photo: AFP
Analysts expect the price of gold to continue climbing this year, building on a safe-haven surge. Photo: AFP
China airliners

Exclusive | Maker of China’s C919 airliner set to ramp up production: sources

With 8 of the 15 planes made last year delivered to customers in November and December, a source said supply chain snags seem to be diminishing.

Artificial intelligence

Open Questions | Jeffrey Ding on why diffusion, not innovation, is the secret to AI success

Professor says a ‘diffusion marathon’, where AI is gradually embedded in an economy over decades, will determine the winner of US-China tech war.

videocam
Electric & new energy vehicles

Chinese carmaker BYD chases 24% export growth with new models, more showrooms

Shenzhen-based company expects to sell 1.3 million cars this year outside mainland China.

Cars unloaded from the ship BYD Changzhou await further movement at a port in Argentina on January 19, 2026. Photo: AFP
China jobs

‘Invest in people’: China raises minimum wages to boost household spending

Most provinces increased pay for low-paid jobs in 2025, part of nationwide efforts to tackle deflationary pressures.

videocam
13
Workers sew garments at a textile factory in Qingdao, in eastern China’s Shandong province on December 15, 2025. As provinces raise the minimum wage, low-paid workers will see the most benefit. Photo: AFP
Workers sew garments at a textile factory in Qingdao, in eastern China’s Shandong province on December 15, 2025. As provinces raise the minimum wage, low-paid workers will see the most benefit. Photo: AFP
China's population

‘Loneliness economy’: how China is adapting to a rapid rise in solo living

The viral success of check-in app Are You Dead? has exposed the vast demand for services catering to China’s rapidly growing single population.

videocam
14
China travel

Foreigners flock to China’s ice and snow sights, with 130% inbound tourism spike

Freezing temperatures will not dampen the spirits of snow seekers, as China cements its reputation as the world’s ultimate winter playground.

videocam
4
China trade

Vietnam grabs bigger slice of China’s durian market as Thailand loses ground

Vietnam’s exports of the pungent fruit to China rose by US$500 million in 2025 as the country emerges as a serious rival to Thailand.

videocam
People work at a durian processing facility in China’s southwestern Guangxi region. China is by far the world’s largest market for the spiky, pungent fruit. Photo: Xinhua
Help preserve 120 years of quality journalism.
SUPPORT NOW