Advertisement
Advertisement
-
TOPIC

China consumption

China consumption
The latest news, analysis and opinion on China consumption. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.
China’s three state-owned telecoms giants – China Mobile, China Unicom and China Telecom – have all announced the tax adjustments will have an impact on their revenues and profits. Photo: AP
China’s private sector

China raises taxes on select sectors: a one-off fix or tough times ahead?

A broader push to raise taxes across the private sector is not on the cards, economists say.

China economy

Opinion | Why China’s persistently low inflation is not all bad news

videocam
Sweden

Multinationals race into China’s US$143.9 billion instant retail market

China manufacturing

China’s factory activity contracts in January on weak domestic demand

The official purchasing managers’ index drops to 49.3 in January, from 50.1 in December.

A worker is seen on a wire harness production line at an electronics factory in Shangqiu, a city in central Henan province, on January 27, 2026. Photo: Xinhua
China property

Hang Lung flags ‘tough slog’ for property, looks to mainland malls for growth

Hong Kong developer says property segment recovery will be slow, but sees mainland retail and consumption offering the clearest upside.

Wine and Spirits

How changing tastes in China are hitting Australia’s wine exports

Younger consumers’ preference for healthier, low-alcohol beverages has contributed to shrinking of Chinese market.

4
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
China GDP

Tale of 2 megacities: how did Beijing, Shanghai GDPs surpass 5 trillion yuan?

China’s two largest cities are outpacing national growth rates, each generating gross domestic products equal to a small European country.

videocam
People hang out at The Bund as the financial district of Pudong is seen in the background in Shanghai, China. The GDPs of Beijing and Shanghai have now exceeded 5 trillion yuan and both cities are comparable to European countries Sweden and Belgium. Photo: Reuters
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
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
China debt

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
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
Workers lay track at a construction site in China’s Jiangsu province. Photo: Getty Images
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
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.

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
15
A user checks in using the viral app Are You Dead?, also known as Demumu in English, which surged to the top of the paid app chart on Apple’s AppStore in China last week. Photo: Reuters
China GDP

China may cut GDP goal, Trump at Davos, Starmer visit

This week: China may lower its economic growth target, Trump shakes up Davos, Chinese births hit record low. Next week: British Prime Minister Keir Starmer visits China, EU likely to mandate technology transfers, last giant pandas leave Japan, and more.

Photo: AFP
China GDP

China’s divided economy

China is likely to set its economic growth target in a range of 4.5 to 5 per cent after meeting its 2025 goal of “around 5 per cent” thanks to domestic subsidies and strong exports.

China’s private sector

China’s private sector increases presence among top 100 listed firms

US think tank’s report says non-state sector is bouncing back from three-year slump.

videocam
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos

‘No choice’: China seen eyeing consumption as a route out of export reliance

Beijing’s policies seen putting income growth above GDP, with investments in social welfare, future tech and advanced manufacturing to spur internal demand.

videocam
10
Zhu Min, a former deputy governor of the People’s Bank of China, spoke during a panel discussion at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Wednesday. Photo: SCMPOST
China manufacturing

China targets hi-tech industries, household spending in 2026 with policy package

Beijing announces support for small businesses and the tech sector, after 2025 economic data shows heavy reliance on exports.

videocam
Consumers

China’s consumers refuse to open their wallets. Is ‘luxury-phobia’ the problem?

Chinese households are not splashing out on luxury goods partly because they feel ‘stigmatised’ for doing so, scholar argues.

videocam
19
Hong Kong stock market

Labubu maker Pop Mart surges after buy-back in show of confidence

Repurchase signals management’s confidence and healthy balance sheet, analysts say, though stock remains 40 per cent below last year’s peak.

Investors have welcomed Pop Mart’s move. Photo: Xinhua
China economy

Opinion | China’s focus is on stability as the US rocks the global boat

While Beijing has achieved its major economic goals for 2025, this year policymakers might be forced to focus on external crises and US foreign policy.

videocam
This handout picture, provided by the Iranian Defence Ministry on March 12, 2024, shows Iranian forces piloting a speedboat near a Chinese naval ship during the “Maritime Security Belt 2024” joint exercise carried out by Tehran, Moscow and Beijing in the Gulf of Oman. Photo: AFP
China GDP

IMF raises China’s 2026 growth forecast to 4.5%, citing US ‘truce’ and stimulus

The fund predicts lower US tariffs and efforts to raise consumer spending may boost economy, though forecast short of last year’s growth.

7
China GDP

China’s two-speed economy faces tough 2026 as growth cools

Lost momentum, weak domestic demand and high yardsticks point to a challenging year ahead for the Chinese economy.

China GDP

China hits 2025 GDP target – but quarterly growth drops to 3-year low

China logs 5 per cent GDP growth in 2025, 4.5 per cent in fourth quarter as Beijing acknowledges ‘long-standing issues and new challenges’.

28
China recorded a record trade surplus last year despite facing US tariffs, helping the country hit its annual growth target of “about 5 per cent”. Photo: Xinhua
China exports

Can China’s cosmetics brands rival K-beauty and refashion global markets?

Once the top export market for South Korean cosmetics, Chinese firms lead at home and have made headway overseas – but gaps remain.

videocam
7
Illustration: Brian Wang
China economy

Opinion | Too few Chinese finish secondary school to sustain growth

To shift to a new growth model, China must redirect its focus from skyscrapers and infrastructure to raising educational attainment.

videocam
5
China economy

Why mortgage subsidies could be key to getting China’s consumers spending

Beijing is striving to boost household spending amid an economic slowdown. But first it needs to stabilise the housing market, scholars say.

videocam
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Help preserve 120 years of quality journalism.
SUPPORT NOW
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement