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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.
An AI billboard at the Chinese International Supply Chain Expo on June 26 in Beijing, China. Rather than abandon its role as the “world’s factory”, China is becoming a global hub for industrial innovation and development. Photo: Getty Images
China manufacturing

Opinion | China is no longer just the world’s factory. It’s the HQ

Manufacturing capacity is moving overseas but China, as a global hub for innovation and development, remains the ‘industrial brain’.

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China exports

China’s gas turbine firms aim to challenge global giants. Is Malaysia the start?

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China trade

Asean firms hope Pinglu Canal will open China market, but fear flood of imports

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US-China relations

Open Questions | Scott Kennedy on China’s ‘slow tech dragon’ and 2 more Xi-Trump meetings

American adviser on Chinese business and economics highlights different phases of US-China relations over the past 50 years.

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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen
2026 Xi-Trump summits

Open Questions | Scott Kennedy on the Xi-Trump summit and US-China instability

Washington think-tanker considers the outcome of the White House meeting, the future of bilateral ties and three ways China’s economic model will be forced to change.

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China consumption

As Chinese retirees boost consumption, some hope for greater respect in society

Age bias is an obstacle to the growth of China’s silver economy, researchers say.

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Semiconductors

Demand for Chinese optical modules is ‘strong’ amid AI boom: GlobalFoundries

US contract chipmaker is deepening its presence in the Chinese market, as it carves out a niche serving China’s optical module makers.

Shankaran Janardhanan, senior vice-president of GlobalFoundries’ photonics and radio frequency business, speaks at the company’s annual technology summit in Shanghai. Photo: Handout
China property

Global property investors see signs of recovery in China: JLL

Firm’s Asia-Pacific capital markets CEO says balance is emerging between fresh supply of space and take-up.

China technology

China’s AI revolution is taking shape. Why are some economists urging caution?

As investors chase the next big AI opportunity, some are questioning lofty valuations and asking what the technology means for ordinary workers.

China travel

Before Apec meeting, China’s mobile-payment overhaul is helping foreigners spend

Smartphone apps such as Alipay and WeChat Pay now link foreign cards and wallets, easing a cashless barrier that has long frustrated international visitors.

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Foreign tourists handle their smartphones while buying tickets for a performance at a theatre in China’s Chongqing municipality last month. Photo: Xinhua
US-China relations

As I see it | China and the US can make nice, if not peace

Outright enmity is too costly for both superpowers. Even without trust, shared interests leave room for pragmatic cooperation.

President Donald Trump and President Xi Jinping shake hands before their meeting at Gimhae International Airport in Busan, South Korea, on October 30 last year. Photo: AP
China-EU relations

China and EU deadlocked on medical devices, still talking on PHEV curbs: source

Sources on the Chinese side recently described the talks as difficult and expressed frustration over the EU’s inflexibility.

China trade

Chinese carmakers gain as high petrol prices boost European EV sales

Chinese brands’ share of plug-in hybrid registrations across Europe climbed from about 20 per cent in January to 35.3 per cent in August.

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China consumption

Mooncakes for the dog? How China is reinventing its iconic festive snack

China’s consumers appear to be going off the dense Mid-Autumn Festival treat, but tiny mooncakes for pets are a different story.

Dog mooncakes have become a popular new trend ahead of this year’s Mid-Autumn Festival in China. Photo: Handout
Banking & finance

Shanghai Gold Exchange pushes more Chinese banks to end retail leverage trading

Lenders in China are redirecting retail clients to fixed-price accumulation plans and physical purchases of precious metals, moving away from margin-based speculation.

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Banks in China are phasing out retail leveraged precious-metals trading for gold and silver. Photo: AFP
Mainland China

Blue Bottle bets that premium coffee has room to grow in China

US brand, recently sold by Nestlé to Chinese capital firm, will need to offer unique experiences and ‘new taste combinations’, analyst says.

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China trade

Opinion | China’s industrial strengths must also benefit its trading partners

By shifting towards domestic consumption and exporting industrial know-how, Beijing can give global partners a genuine stake in its growth.

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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.

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

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

Analysts say that the relatively short window, while a positive sign, could also raise pressure on both Beijing and Washington.

IPO

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

The market is shifting from a ‘blind rush’ to ‘fine screening’, but funding is still there for firms with clear strategies, Deloitte China says.

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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Migrant workers wait to board a chartered train at Dingxi North railway station in northwest China’s Gansu province, in 2024. In 2025, China’s nearly 300 million migrant workers earned just 5,075 yuan (US$758) a month on average, up only 2.3 per cent from the previous year. Photo: Xinhua
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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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.

The US Capitol building is seen following rain showers. The US federal government’s debt alone accounts for more than 10 per cent of all the debt in the world, spanning government, household, financial and non-financial corporate sectors in more than 100 economies, according to the Institute of International Finance. Photo: AFP
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.

People wait outside a busy restaurant in Beijing on Monday. Photo: AFP
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.

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.

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