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China consumption

China consumption
The latest news, analysis and opinion on China consumption. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.
People buy coffee at a mobile Starbucks set up next to a historic building in Beijing on January 30, 2025. Photo: AFP
Mergers & Acquisitions

China’s fast-changing consumers force MNCs to adapt via local alliances

General Mills and Mölnlycke follow Starbucks, Burger King in forging partnerships to better tap local market insights.

Mainland China

Gold slump: China’s sales plunge as precious metal’s price dips

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China property

Park life: why China’s malls are building forests, waterfalls and sky walkways

China jobs

China’s gig economy is an employment reservoir – but is the well drying up?

More than 200 million people in China are flexibly employed, but AI adoption, unstable income and poor social security make positions precarious.

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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen
China travel

China, South Korea agree to more flights per week as tourism to Japan dwindles

The additional flights are the first increase between the two countries since before the Covid pandemic.

IPO

IPOs, expansion plans give China’s growing pet food sector paws for thought

Shanghai-based pet food maker Fubei has filed an application for an initial public offering in Hong Kong.

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China-Latin America relations

China opens door to all Brazilian beef, then slams it with a 55% surtax

Recognition lifts a long-standing sanitary barrier, but an import quota in force since January caps how far Brazilian beef sales can grow.

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A butcher weighs meat at a butcher shop in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Photo: AFP
China’s private sector

The big scoop: lemon tea chain to revamp Haagen-Dazs’ struggling China business

General Mills is offloading the ice cream brand’s mainland China stores, as foreign businesses revamp models amid heated domestic competition.

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Tourism

More Chinese provinces and cities add holidays in bid to spur consumption

Central government has added 5 days of public holidays this year, and local administrations are extending spring and autumn school breaks.

Mainland China

Can social media save the wine industry from irrelevance in China?

China is drinking far less wine than a few years ago. To turn the tide, the industry must work with Chinese influencers, an insider says.

Exhibitors attend Vinexpo Asia at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. The three-day trade fair features more than 1,000 exhibitors from across the wine and spirits industry. Photo: Karma Lo
China food security

China hog prices, near decade low, seen squeezing profits amid deflation risks

Ministry data reveals nine-month slump in breeding stocks while top-listed companies face big financial hits as rising fuel and grain costs erode margins.

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A pig is seen in China’s Hunan province. The price of live pigs in the country remains near a decade low. Photo: SCMP
China property

China should learn household balance sheet lessons from US: report

Chinese policymakers could use American response to recessions as a reference, new report argues.

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China’s private sector

A new battlefront for KFC and its Chinese rivals: the lighter meal

Big-name fast-food chains are seeking to capitalise on a surge in demand in China for lighter meals.

China GDP

China boosts services for migrant workers to spur consumption

Cities will have to give migrant workers and their families better access to healthcare and education services under a loosening of the household registration system.

Photo: Getty Images
Luxury brands

China sales hold up as European luxury brands warn of Iran war impact

While LVMH, Hermes and Prada recorded increased sales in Chinese market, Kering reported a decline.

A Labubu toy hangs from a bidder’s Hermes bag at an auction by Yongle International Auction in Beijing in June last year. Photo: Reuters
Hong Kong property

Hong Kong to see more mainland Chinese brands enter retail market, analysts say

In the first four months of the year, more than one fifth of new entrants in the city’s retail market were mainland brands, according to JLL.

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China's economic recovery

HSBC cuts China retail sales forecast by nearly half on property, job pressures

Consumption is facing renewed pressure as a weak labour market and diminishing returns from subsidies cloud outlook, the bank says.

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China economy

China’s unexpected retail slowdown shows Hormuz strains

Retail sales growth slumped in April, industrial output cooled and fixed-asset investments tumbled as high oil prices hit China’s economy.

Photo: VCG via Getty Images
China manufacturing

China’s economy ‘weaker than expected’ in April as Iran war headwinds bite

China’s retail sales growth fell to just 0.2 per cent in April, while industrial output and fixed-asset investment softened more than forecast.

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Hong Kong property

Fresh concepts lift Hong Kong retail property as tourists and consumers return

Landlords betting on a diversified tenant mix – from pop-ups to ‘sportainment’ – to sustain growth in retail property market, analysts say.

China’s film industry

How a tiny indie movie sparked a major tourist boom in southern China

Made on a shoestring budget, the hit drama Dear You has triggered a surge of interest in the history of southern China’s Teochew diaspora.

A poster for Dear You, an independent film set in Chaoshan, Guangdong province, which has become an unexpected box office hit in China. Photo: Handout
Banking & finance

China’s credit demand weak in April despite policy support, strong industry

Lending growth slows as borrowing demand from households and businesses remains weak.

An elderly man walks past a bank branch in the Central Business District in Beijing in April. Photo: EPA-EFE
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.

China economy

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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China travel

China’s record travel volume meets cautious spending in May Day holiday surge

Thousands of domestic train services added on last day of ‘golden week’ to meet record demand, and high energy costs affect consumer spending.

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Dozens of yachts are seen in waters off the coast of China’s Hainan province on Sunday, during a five-day national holiday. Photo: Xinhua
China’s film industry

China’s Labour Day box office disappoints despite strong line-up – what happened?

Cold War 1994 and The Devil Wears Prada 2 were tipped to shine in a crowded release window – but many consumers chose to stay away.

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A moviegoer walks by a poster of The Devil Wears Prada 2 at a cinema on Monday in Shanghai. Photo: VCG via Getty Images
China GDP

China’s economy in 2026

First-quarter GDP grew 5 per cent as strong manufacturing and exports masked weak domestic spending and a March slowdown.

Shenzhen

Shenzhen’s economic dilemma: soaring GDP, stagnant consumption

Shenzhen’s retail sales barely rose in the first quarter despite strong GDP growth, a sign of the Chinese tech hub’s unbalanced development.

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