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China economy

China economy
Breaking news and analysis on China’s economy, including its opening up, the US-China trade war, the impact of tariffs and trade talks, growth rates and other key economic data, the Belt and Road Initiative, and Greater Bay Area plan.
Elon Musk follows Eric and Lara Trump down the stairs from Air Force One after its arrival at Beijing Capital International Airport on Wednesday night. Photo: AP
2026 Xi-Trump summit

Trump’s trillion-dollar business delegation arrives in China, eager for deals

The 17 American business executives accompanying US president are the wealthiest such delegation to visit the country.

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China-EU relations

Global shocks push European firms in China to rethink supply chains

International Monetary Fund (IMF)

Opinion | Why the world needs China to save more, not less

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China trade

Asia needs ‘institutional toolbox’ to survive global shocks, China experts warn

Ahead of Trump’s China visit, experts at an RCEP forum discuss a supply-chain overhaul, looking to insulate the world’s biggest trading bloc.

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Chi Fulin, president of the China Institute for Reform and Development, speaks at an RCEP forum in Hainan on Saturday. Photo: Handout
2026 Xi-Trump summit

China and US teams race to find easy summit deliverables at meeting in Seoul

The two sides will seek to ‘iron out any last-minute issues’ in single day of talks, economist says.

2026 Xi-Trump summit

Nvidia’s Jensen Huang joins Trump’s trip to China at last minute

The Nvidia CEO boarded Air Force One during a refuelling stop in Alaska, with Trump saying it was ‘an honour’ to have him on the trip.

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Yuan

How Australia’s mining giants are helping China to globalise the yuan

Mining firms are increasingly using the yuan for financing and settlements, as China pushes to reduce its reliance on the US dollar.

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Cranes unload bauxite ore imported from Australia at a port in China’s eastern Shandong province. Photo: Reuters
2026 Xi-Trump summit

After nearly 9 years, Trump is landing in a totally changed China. Is he ready?

China has strengthened its position since the US president’s last visit, analysts said, predicting more equitable results from any potential agreement.

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2026 Xi-Trump summit

Musk joins Trump’s Beijing delegation as a ‘natural bridge’ for trade

Gigafactory stakes and a push for self-driving software approval cast the billionaire as a key US envoy while seemingly sealing a reconciliation with Trump.

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China-EU relations

German firms in China more optimistic despite Iran war, trade headwinds: survey

Expectations for growth, profits and investment are all up, despite geopolitical turbulence.

German and Chinese national flags flutter on a lamppost at Tiananmen Gate in Beijing. Photo: Shutterstock
China property

Ex-adviser urges China to tackle inequality with higher taxes on ultra-rich

Raising taxes on assets, incomes of high earners will add to state revenues and incentivise protecting property rights, economist says.

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China should tax the ultra-rich’s property and income streams to align government incentives with protecting property rights and stabilising expectations, a prominent economist has said. Photo: Reuters
China airliners

European airlines adding China flights despite Russian airspace barrier

Demand for China-Europe flights surges as airlines avoid Iranian, Russian airspace and divert tourists away from Southeast Asia.

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China trade

Pakistan to tap China debt market with first sale of yuan-priced ‘panda bonds’

Islamabad turns to ‘panda bonds’ to secure cheaper credit and diversify its borrowing into yuan-denominated funding, with a focus on sustainable development.

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China shipbuilding

The US tried to rein in China’s shipyards. Now, they are even more dominant

China’s shipyards secured a staggering 85 per cent of global orders in the first quarter, as demand for oil tankers surges amid the Iran war.

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Workers build large vessels at the Jinling Shipyard in Nanjing, capital of China’s eastern Jiangsu province. Photo: AFP
2026 Xi-Trump summit

US-China negotiations seek a quick Seoul search for deals ahead of Trump’s visit

Setting stage for presidential summit with Xi in Beijing, Bessent and He to meet in South Korea, and the ‘3 Bs’ could be on the cards.

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Vice-Premier He Lifeng (right) gestures alongside US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent before a meeting to discuss trade relations and tariffs on May 10, 2025, just over one year ago. Photo: AFP
China property

China’s bond market faces climbing re-defaults as property crisis drags on

Re-defaults erode credit differentiation as homebuyer confidence weakens under slow income growth and high leverage, analysts warn.

China's population

China’s marriage numbers plunge to Covid-era low as population woes deepen

Fewer than 1.7 million couples tied the knot in the first quarter, the lowest total for the same period since lockdown-dominated 2020.

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China inflation

China’s producer, consumer inflation up in April as Iran war pressures persist

Factory-gate prices increased 2.8 per cent last month and consumer prices were up 1.2 per cent, surpassing expectations as fuel costs rise.

A ship offloads liquid natural gas at the PetroChina Jiangsu LNG terminal at Yangkou port in Rudong, in eastern China’s Jiangsu province. Photo: AFP
China trade

Sino-Japanese relations

China and Japan have forged strong economic ties, despite having regular diplomatic rows over disputed territories and the legacy of the Second World War. The latest escalation occurred in November after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi suggested that Japan’s military forces could be deployed in the event of conflict in the Strait of Taiwan.

2026 Xi-Trump summit

What to expect from this week’s Trump 2.0 visit to Beijing

Nearly a decade after his first-term visit, Trump returns to Beijing amid tensions over tariffs, Taiwan and tech rivalry.

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China's economic recovery

Opinion | Can China engineer a price recovery that doesn’t make people feel poorer?

The producer price uptick offers a policy window: if reinforced by household demand and expectations, it could kick off a broader recovery.

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People cross a road near a shopping centre in Beijing on March 7. Photo: AFP
China airliners

China’s Comac looking to boost C919’s overhead luggage capacity: source

Aircraft maker reviewing new designs to challenge Boeing and Airbus and take better advantage of plane’s slightly wider fuselage.

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A flight attendant welcomes passengers on board a China Eastern Airlines C919 at Hong Kong International Airport last year. Photo: Nora Tam
Mainland China

Opinion | Rise of China complicates ‘authoritarian’ vs ‘democratic’ binary

As China’s trajectory exposes the limitations of labels inherited from another era, understanding how governance systems work is more important.

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Artificial intelligence

China’s AI drive seen widening wealth gap, testing ‘common prosperity’ push

With Beijing’s ‘AI-plus’ plan looking to grow the nation’s digital economy, experts warn that hubs could further outpace rural regions, fuelling inequality.

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China's population

Why Gen Z is abandoning Beijing for greener fields elsewhere in China

The percentage of the capital’s population aged between 20 and 29 plunged from 21.3 per cent in 2015 to 11.4 per cent in 2024.

An elderly woman walks past a bank branch in Beijing on April 20. Photo: EPA
US-China relations

As I see it | Has China just ended the end of history?

As China continues to thrive, Western observers are beginning to rethink past assumptions about the country’s future.

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Tourists visit the Huangyao ancient town in Zhaoping county, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, on May 3. Photo: Xinhua

Video | How China’s malls are trying to stay relevant

Shopping centres are focusing more on consumer experiences rather than traditional retail sales.

2026 Xi-Trump summit

Trump trade chief says US wants balanced trade, not change to China’s system

US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer wants key meeting in Beijing to help ‘achieve more balance’ economically between the two countries.

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