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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.
Workers load sulphur at a storage yard on a wharf in Nanjing, in eastern China’s Jiangsu province, on April 14, 2026. Photo: AFP
Mainland China

China’s sulphur imports dive 65% as prices surge 3.5 times

Country pays more for less of the key fertiliser ingredient, potentially pressuring the spring planting season, analyst says.

2026 Xi-Trump summits

What a 2-month trade-truce extension reveals as US-China rifts persist

IPO

China’s humanoid robot IPO slowdown no threat to firms with ‘genuine strength’

China travel

Next-level travel: how up to 13 days off could push China’s tourism to new highs

An alignment of Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holidays stretches time off for millions of Chinese, with breaks reaching up to 13 days.

Tourists visit Tangqi town in Hangzhou, eastern China’s Zhejiang province. Photo: Xinhua
Mainland China

Opinion | China has a much bigger priority than winning the AI race

China’s pressing economic problem is that ordinary people still have too little money in their pockets.

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China exports

China has scrapped two-thirds of its planned coal power plants abroad: report

The cutbacks have saved 6.4 billion tonnes of potential carbon emissions, though campaign’s momentum slowed last year, report finds.

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Chinese diaspora

Opinion | China is leveraging its diaspora to boost the economy, unlike India

While Beijing has turned its diaspora into an extension of its domestic economy, New Delhi has largely allowed its diaspora to strengthen other economies.

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Illustration: Victor Sanjinez
Banking & finance

US$365 trillion and counting: the world’s total debt hits record high, IIF finds

Debt climbs US$10 trillion in six months as fiscal strains deepen, exposing cracks in household and corporate balance sheets.

China consumption

Boosting China’s social safety net could address consumption woes: IMF director

The global organisation found that savings of rural households decrease when social and healthcare spending is higher.

China manufacturing

As Chinese carmakers diversify beyond CATL, Beijing warns of market overreaction

MIIT-linked commentary dismisses “de-CATLisation” concerns as normal supplier diversification and warns cutthroat price competition poses a far bigger threat.

CATL is the world’s largest manufacturer of lithium-ion batteries, which are used in electric vehicles among other consumer electronics. Photo: AFP
US-China relations

China’s US dollar holdings

China’s direct holdings of US Treasuries fell to an 18-year low in August as the country shifts to buying the bonds via Europe while continuing to diversify by increasing gold reserves.

China’s US dollar holdings
China energy security

China launches ‘mineral exploration offensive’ amid growing global uncertainties

Beijing is scouring the nation for resources ranging from oil to rare earths, as it tries to shield its economy from rising geopolitical turbulence.

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Banking & finance

Will Hong Kong property market benefit as online financial firms get physical?

Online brokerages and digital banks are opening branches across city after a sharp drop in shop rents in prime locations.

Yuan

Digital yuan push quickens as Ant International spurs instant cross-border flows

The Shanghai-to-Hong Kong settlements worth hundreds of millions of yuan bypassed traditional channels and could accelerate Beijing’s broader yuan strategy.

China is scaling up adoption of the digital yuan as it seeks to embed it more deeply into the country’s financial system. Photo: dpa
China jobs

China’s gig economy

Some 320 million people work in China’s gig economy. The growth in jobs offering few benefits and little security reflects challenges to finding permanent employment, especially for record numbers of new graduates.

China’s gig economy
China technology

Are clinical trials about to become a new front in the US-China biotech race?

China’s ability to conduct clinical trials quickly and cheaply has given it an edge in the biotech sector – and the US is growing concerned.

China stock market

As Buffett exits, China embraces his investment legacy. Will Wall Street buy it?

Chinese regulators push patient capital, reshape US$4.5 trillion mutual fund industry towards long-term holdings as foreign investors weigh risks against thin IPO pipelines.

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China food security

Weathering the storm: can China’s grain reserves defend against El Nino?

As climate shocks and supply chain disruptions push global food prices higher, Beijing believes it has the tools to fend off rising risks.

China’s summer grain harvest exceeded 150 million tonnes for the first time this year. Photo: Xinhua
2026 Xi-Trump summits

US tightens Japan, South Korea ties ahead of Trump-Xi summit

Days before Chinese President Xi Jinping’s arrival in Washington, the US underscored relations with Japan and South Korea.

Semiconductors

China’s old Han Xin barcode gets a second life – this time shrunk on silicon

After failing to unseat the QR code years ago, Beijing is betting that a “micro” version of its home-grown barcode can gain a foothold in the global semiconductor supply chain.

China-EU relations

A shift by China towards service-based economy may realign trade, EU group says

The nation has seen little progress towards addressing ‘involution’, with output still growing beyond absorption rate, says an EU trade group.

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The Europe Union and Chinese flags. Photo: Getty Images
Low-altitude economy

Low-altitude sector hits turbulence in China’s Hangzhou as subsidies face repeal

Hangzhou tech hub looks to end financial incentives for development of light aerial vehicles, including eVTOLs, signalling more optimised regulations after June crash.

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A visitor exits an electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft in China’s Hubei province earlier this year. Photo: Xinhua
China's economic recovery

Economists urge Beijing to act fast on local-level debt while prices remain low

Prominent advisers note importance of central authorities expanding borrowing to fund infrastructure before the current window of subdued inflation closes.

2026 Xi-Trump summits

US, China agree AI dialogue ahead of Trump-Xi summit

Eight hours of trade talks on Sunday produced agreements on artificial intelligence and trade as President Xi Jinping readies to fly to the US.

China energy security

Canada sells more oil and gas to China as relations with US sour

China’s imports of Russian energy products also rise sharply as Beijing diversifies its energy supplies.

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The Imperial Oil refinery in Sarnia, Ontario, Canada, on September 2. Photo: Reuters
Biomedicine: Industry Trends

China’s five-year plan for pharmaceuticals and biomedicine

China aims to become a global drug powerhouse by 2030, according to its five-year development plan for the pharmaceutical and biomedicine sector.

Photo: Xinhua
World Gold Council

As China’s consumption of gold jewellery slumps 34%, sellers pivot abroad: WGC

Domestic gold jewellers are seeking to leverage advanced crafting techniques as market sees turbulence, says World Gold Council executive.

China-EU relations

Open Questions | ‘Trade is never free’: former WTO chief Pascal Lamy on the EU’s China challenge

He says Chinese authorities’ lack of interest in addressing structural macroeconomic imbalance a ‘huge problem’ for European Union.

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