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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.
China retail sales missed expectations in March. Photo: EPA
China GDP

China’s economic boom masks Iran war slowdown

Growth in China accelerated in the first quarter of the year as a January-February surge offset a slower March following the shutdown of the Strait of Hormuz.

Foreign exchange market

China trims US Treasury holdings as global ownership hits record

China GDP

China beats expectations with 5% growth in first GDP release since Iran war

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China trade

Record-setting Canton Fair under Middle East cloud as costs hit China’s exports

Manufacturers and buyers offer on-the-ground perspectives at China’s largest trade exhibition, swapping stories and predictions amid massive turnout.

Buyers browse household electrical appliances at the 139th session of the China Import and Export Fair, also known as the Canton Fair, in Guangdong province on Wednesday. Photo: AFP
US-China relations

‘No alternative’: Yellen defends dollar dominance, calls to preserve China trade

Former US Treasury secretary, in Hong Kong, discusses China’s ‘serious conflicts’ with other economies in trade, while warning of decoupling risks.

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Electric & new energy vehicles

China’s EV battery giant CATL to set up mining arm to secure supply chain

Global energy shock accelerates CATL’s upstream push as demand for EV batteries and storage systems surges.

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China energy security

US officials claim China is ‘hoarding’ oil. What does the data say?

While US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said China is stockpiling crude amid the Iran war, the numbers suggest Beijing is facing a supply crunch.

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A woman walks past a giant billboard reading “The Strait of Hormuz remains closed” at Revolution Square in Tehran, Iran. Photo: TNS
China GDP

Despite Iran war, China set for ‘solid’ first-quarter GDP growth: analysts

Flexible growth target means little likelihood of imminent stimulus, but focus will switch to impact of disruptions in second quarter.

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China exports

Chinese steelmakers team up to adjust to EU’s carbon-linked import imposts

Industry insiders say carbon costs are expected to cascade through supply chains, adding to compliance costs for Chinese exporters.

China debt

China publicly criticises fiscal spending by ‘imprudent’ local governments

Amid belt-tightening drive, spotlight falls on projects deemed not in the public interest, including millions of yuan spent on promotional songs.

People descend a mountain with luggage as they move to new homes designed to alleviate poverty in Zhaojue county, Sichuan province, in May 2020. Photo: Xinhua
China GDP

IMF cuts China’s GDP growth forecast to 4.4% as Iran war hits global economy

The latest projection is 0.1 percentage lower than January’s estimate but higher than October’s.

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The IMF headquarters during the first day of the 2026 Spring Meetings of the IMF and the World Bank Group in Washington on April 13. Photo: Kent Nishimura
China trade

China’s exports slow as Iran war impact begins to bite

Disruptions from conflict in the Middle East and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz contributed to a worse-than-expected slowdown in Chinese exports and a jump in imports.

China energy security

China turns to central Asia as US blockade in Hormuz chokes global energy flows

Chinese vice-premier to visit major gas field in Turkmenistan as Beijing aims to shore up energy security and diversify away from volatile maritime routes.

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China trade

China’s March trade

Exports from China slowed while imports surged in the first full month of trade data following the outbreak of the US war against Iran on February 28.

Photo: AFP
China Evergrande Group

Founder of China’s Evergrande Group Hui Ka-yan pleads guilty in fraud trial

Milestone in downfall of company that was once the world’s largest developer is unlikely to move the market, analysts say.

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Hui Ka-yan, then-chairman of China Evergrande Group, attends the company’s 2017 results meeting at the Four Seasons Hotel in Hong Kong. Photo: David Wong
China trade

China’s imports surge in March as exports soften amid Hormuz blockade

Export figures fall short of predictions, rising by 2.5 per cent, while imports grow by 27.8 per cent as conflict in Middle East causes global disruption.

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China-EU relations

Brussels must resist ‘passive’ role in US-China trade war, EU chamber urges

European companies keep becoming ‘collateral damage’ in others’ disputes, laments president of the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China.

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2026 Trump-Xi summit

Could Trump’s Hormuz blockade derail China summit with Xi Jinping?

US president’s move forces China into political dilemma and could create a flashpoint ahead of his meeting with Chinese leader, analysts say.

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Chinese President Xi Jinping with US counterpart Donald Trump outside the Great Hall of the People in Beijing in November 2017, during the US president’s first term in office. Photo: Xinhua
Artificial intelligence

‘Doctor Doom’ Roubini turns ‘Doctor Boom’, predicting huge economic growth in US

Nouriel Roubini predicted the 2008 financial crisis – now he says an explosion of hi-tech will be unlike anything mankind has ever seen, trivialising near-term headwinds.

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Yuan

Yuan’s ‘golden window’ is open, former PBOC governor says as US dollar ebbs

Zhou Xiaochuan, who laid the foundation for China’s currency to go global, says Beijing can capitalise on changes in the international monetary landscape.

China’s private sector

China’s tea-drink shops thirst for profits as price wars dry up prospects

‘I am learning a hard lesson of how involution can destroy my business,’ a Shanghai shop operator says.

Tea-drink sales grew 6.4 per cent in 2025, a sharp drop from annualised growth of more than 20 per cent over the past two decades. Photo: Shutterstock
China’s C919 passenger plane

Exclusive | China’s C919 faces ‘final exam’ as EU pilots stay in Shanghai ‘permanently’: sources

Flight tests a ‘final exam’ to be followed by analysis, paperwork and technical verification, but ‘political considerations’ also in play.

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A C919 takes to the skies at the Singapore Airshow in February. Photo: AFP
Hong Kong economy

Hong Kong, mainland China sign ‘milestone’ MOU on promoting digital economy

Memorandum of understanding covers topics including AI promotion, cross-boundary data flow and blockchain.

China debt

How China’s fake Titanic sank like a stone – and became a symbol of local excess

In 2014, a Chinese investor raised millions to build a full-scale replica of the Titanic. Now, all that remains is a rusting hull – and vast debts.

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China jobs

China warns university students about lucrative job offers from foreign spies

Data processing or research jobs promising easy money could be ‘traps’ aimed at illegally collecting sensitive information, ministry says.

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A job fair at Harbin University of Science and Technology in Harbin, Heilongjiang province, last month. Photo: Xinhua
Semiconductors

Samsung weighs China overhaul as local rivals pile on the pressure

Reports of a potential pullback come as domestic competitors gain ground in China, forcing Samsung to reassess where it deploys resources.

Samsung is considering a broad restructuring of its China business, potentially exiting segments such as home appliances and displays, say analysts. Photo: Handout
China trade

‘Cancelling orders’ in China: Hormuz oil crisis hits transport and manufacturing

Analysts and industry insiders say higher costs are squeezing margins, with some of China’s wary industrial heartland compelled to make day-to-day purchases.

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China education

Vocational schools a new front as China backs businesses’ global expansion

Earlier programmes focused on infrastructure, but new wave is shaped by demand in e-commerce, digital services and advanced manufacturing.

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