China Archives - Page 4 of 79

Despite tariffs, China consumer giants push into the US as domestic market stalls

18Dec

By Mike TrudellNo Comments

China, Market, USA

Despite tariffs, China consumer giants push into the US as domestic market stalls

Shanghai/New York Lured by the promise of richer margins, a wave of Chinese consumer brands is making deeper inroads into American retail to offset sluggish spending at home. Throughout 2025, companies including Labubu-maker Pop Mart , trinket purveyor Miniso, sportswear giant Anta and fast-fashion label Urban Revivo have announced new U.S. stores or retail expansions, trying to establish a foothold in the world’s richest consumer market despite harsh U.S. tariffs and talk of economic decoupling. The counterintuitive trend, which started to emerge in 2023 after the COVID pandemic, accelerated this year as lethargic local spending prompted Chinese consumer companies to look abroad, initially in Southeast Asia. NewYork a litmus test for broader expansion Urban Revivo, often ...

9Dec

By Brian ThompsonNo Comments

China, Market

How China Wins the Future

When the Chinese cargo ship Istanbul Bridge docked at the British port of Felixstowe on October 13, 2025, the arrival might have appeared unremarkable. The United Kingdom is China’s third-largest export market, and boats travel between the two countries all year. What was remarkable about the Bridge was the route it had taken—it was the first major Chinese cargo ship to travel directly to Europe via the Arctic Ocean. The trip took 20 days, weeks faster than the traditional routes through the Suez Canal or around the Cape of Good Hope. Beijing hailed the journey as a geostrategic breakthrough and a contribution to supply chain stability. Yet the more important message was unstated: the extent of China’s economic and security ambitions in a new realm of global pow...

What’s next for China’s economy in 2026 – and how it plans to tackle challenges

6Dec

By Brian ThompsonNo Comments

Asia, China

What’s next for China’s economy in 2026 – and how it plans to tackle challenges

Top investment banks forecast moderate growth next year amid trade, property and structural challenges After a turbulent year marked by the trade war and domestic headwinds, China will head into 2026 cautiously as it grapples with structural challenges to growth. Global investors are watching closely to see how Beijing works to shore up confidence, double down on strategic industries and mitigate overcapacity, all while navigating a fast-evolving geopolitical environment. In this explainer, the Post distils forecasts from major investment banks and economists on what to expect in 2026, also the first year of the next five-year plan – a socio-economic blueprint that typically sets the tone for policy direction. GDP outlook There is consensus among major financial in...

Fighting China’s Subsidies Means Copying China’s Economic Model

5Dec

By Brian ThompsonNo Comments

China

Fighting China’s Subsidies Means Copying China’s Economic Model

In 1994, the Communist Party of China undertook a monumental decision that radically altered the country’s fiscal federalism. Until then, provincial governments held the bulk of taxing and spending powers. After reform, these lower-level governments had to remit a far larger share of tax revenue to Beijing while still maintaining the same spending responsibilities. Around the same time, as the Chinese manufacturing miracle took shape, average households began transitioning toward middle-class incomes. Yet, given financial repression and unpredictable markets, they needed a safe place to put their savings. In 1998, China legalised the buying and selling of residential property. Local governments urgently needed revenue, and households needed assets. Real estate firms emerged as p...

Boao Forum for Asia: SABIC’s CEO: We are part of the China economy

3Dec

By Brian ThompsonNo Comments

Asia, China

Boao Forum for Asia: SABIC’s CEO: We are part of the China economy

The Boao Forum for Asia has wrapped up its regional meeting in Saudi Arabia. It is Riyadh's second consecutive year to host the meeting. CGTN's Adel EL Mahrouky talked to the CEO of Saudi petrochemical giant SABIC, who praised the forum's role in strengthening cooperation with China. ADEL EL MAHROUKY, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia "So how is it significant for Saudi Arabia to host it for the second consecutive year?" ABDULRAHMAN AL-FAGEEH, CEO and BFA Board Member, SABIC "Yeah. First of all, I think it's an opportunity for our Asian partners to come and to see what is in Saudi Arabia. There's a lot of opportunity that it will attract. It is one of the largest growth in terms of GDP, in addition to the opportunities that so many opportunities in all aspects: in building and constructions,...

China services activity hits 3-year low while factory slump persists

30Nov

By Brian ThompsonNo Comments

China

China services activity hits 3-year low while factory slump persists

China’s factory activity fell for an eighth straight month in November while activity in services hit a three-year low, showing how persistent weak demand is affecting the country’s economic outlook despite a trade truce with the US. The manufacturing purchasing managers’ index rose marginally to 49.2 this month, according to official data released on Sunday. A reading below 50 shows a contraction in activity. Another index tracking non-manufacturing business sectors, including services and construction, fell to 49.5, down from 50.1 last month. It is the first reading below 50 in nearly three years. The results were driven by seasonal factors and the fading effect of a boost in consumption during a week-long public holiday in October, said Huo Lihui, chief statistician of the...

China’s economic crisis hits Indian aluminium hard: Price deflated & trade relations dampened

28Nov

By Brian ThompsonNo Comments

China, Market

China’s economic crisis hits Indian aluminium hard: Price deflated & trade relations dampened

Indian aluminium market witnesses a 0.64 per cent price drop to INR 270.45 per kilogram, owing to the declining demand from China, which is otherwise the world’s largest aluminium producer cum consumer. Along with deflating pricing in the Chinese market, the SHFE inventory rise of 7.67 per cent has also pressurised the market sentiment. To cushion the aluminium price’s free-fall, the US federal rate cut has weighed in, supporting broader commodity sentiment. China is experiencing a structural and cyclical economic slowdown. This is not a typical, short-term dip but a complex deceleration from its previous high-growth phase. Both the country’s overall manufacturing output and retail business have faced their weakest month in October 2025 when compared with the previous 12 months. Th...

China’s iron ore lump premium falls to over 1.5-year low

28Nov

By Brian ThompsonNo Comments

China

China’s iron ore lump premium falls to over 1.5-year low

Premiums of China's seaborne iron ore lump against 62% Fe fines, which have tracked downward since mid-September, have now hit a 1.5-year low. Behind the weak lump premiums has been waning demand for lump ores from loss-suffering steelmakers, Mysteel Global noted. As of November 25, Mysteel SEADEX 62.5% Fe Australian iron ore lump premium against 62% Fe Australian fines had dropped to $0.0925/dmtu, plunging by 42.2% from two months ago and hitting the lowest level since late May 2024. Iron ore lump is considered a premium product over fines as it can be charged directly into blast furnaces, saving sintering costs and reducing pollution. However, since mid-September, market sources have observed a notable decline in steel mills' appetite for lump ores, alongside a growing prefere...

China’s Economy is Forecast to Grow Faster Than Expected in 2026

26Nov

By Joe RodriguezNo Comments

Asia, China, World

China’s Economy is Forecast to Grow Faster Than Expected in 2026

China’s surprising strength in exports and its commitment to more advanced manufacturing in a new Five-Year Plan boost are raising expectations for GDP growth. Goldman Sachs Research sees 5-6% annual growth in China’s exports and raised its real GDP forecasts for 2026 and 2027 to well above consensus. The approval of the new Five-Year Plan proposal highlights the government’s determination and capability to keep advancing its manufacturing and boost its export market share. A meeting between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping in South Korea, signaling a truce on trade, has also improved the growth outlook, even while showing China’s leverage over rare earth minerals to push back on trade restrictions. The drag on economic growth caused by China’s property downturn is beginning t...

China’s October net gold imports via Hong Kong fall about 64% from September

26Nov

By Brian ThompsonNo Comments

Asia, China

China’s October net gold imports via Hong Kong fall about 64% from September

China’s net gold imports via Hong Kong in October fell about 64% from September, Hong Kong Census and Statistics Department data showed on Tuesday. As the world’s leading gold consumer, China’s purchasing activities can significantly influence global gold markets. The Hong Kong data may not provide a complete picture of Chinese purchases, as gold is also imported via Shanghai and Beijing. Net imports via Hong Kong to China for October stood at 8.02 metric tons, compared with 22.047 tons in September. China’s total gold imports via Hong Kong reached 30.08 tons in October, down 17% from 36.275 tons in September. “What we’re really seeing here is a weakness in the Chinese demand while they have been firmly strong earlier in the year,” said Ross Norman, an independent analy...

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