Economy

The People’s Bank of China reduced the five-year loan prime rate by a record amount in May, hoping that the cut will work to restore loan demand and get the property sector moving again. But will it be enough to help the country hit its economic targets for the year? Joe Cash investigates The Chinese economy is facing multiple headwinds. Not only is Beijing’s harsh zero Covid policy and the …

The zero Covid strategy is here to stay and companies are going to have to adapt to manage its unpredictability if they want to stay ahead in the market – but what is China’s end game? And what impact is it likely to have on real people as the policy drags on, ask CBBC’s policy team, Joe Cash and Torsten Weller. “Our prevention and control strategy is determined by the …

China’s harsh Zero Covid policy is putting huge pressure on the Chinese economy, with April’s data indicating a sharp downturn. The government wants to increase infrastructure spending and do more to help SMEs while also keeping employment stable, according to CBBC’s policy team, Torsten Weller and Joe Cash – so how likely are they to pull that off? Worries about the Chinese economy are mounting. Despite respectable growth of 4.8% …

China is fast-tracking spending on new technologies like 5G, smart grids and renewable energy to support its position as a global leader in new technologies, writes Torsten Weller Ever since the Chinese government declared financial risk and soaring debt a key threat to the country’s stability in 2016, the country’s leaders have been reluctant to use large-scale monetary stimuli to shore up the slowing economy. Even the severe hit from …

China’s Rural Revitalisation Strategy is a core component of the government’s goal to promote more balanced economic and social development. China Briefing looks at the key investment and business opportunities for foreign companies that are aligned with the goals of China’s Rural Revitalisation programme When China adopted market reforms and opened to the global economy in the late 1970s and 1980s, then-leader Deng Xiaoping famously said that the Party would …

In considering UK-China trade from China’s perspective, the UK appears to leave a lot to be desired as a trade partner, and the fact that the UK has not had a high-level trade dialogue in recent years is starting to set it apart among its peers, writes Joe Cash The prospect of UK-China trade talks recently caused a furore in Parliament. The notion that the government would want to resume …

In 2021, China recorded a historical trade surplus of £500 billion. But trade balances vary across regions, with trade surpluses and minuses highly concentrated in a few provinces, writes Torsten Weller China has long been seen as the ‘workshop of the world.’ This ‘moniker’ has become even more justified during the Covid-19 pandemic, when most developed economies in the West shut down during lengthy lockdowns. Factory closures in other export-oriented …

The biggest trade bloc in history, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, provides its member states with a tariff-free route into the China market. However, as Joe Cash explains, China’s membership brings challenges as well as opportunities Just after the stroke of midnight on New Year’s Eve, trade negotiators in Australia, Brunei, Cambodia, China, Japan, Laos, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand and Vietnam likely raised a second toast congratulating themselves …

The Russia-China border winds for 2,600 miles through rivers, swamps, and vast forests. It’s a region most businesses rarely interact with, though it’s home to many potential consumers and is a major cross-trade border too. Paul French caught up with the authors of a book about the Russia-China border to find out what the prospects for enhanced trade opportunities might be Academics Franck Billé and Caroline Humphrey spent years travelling …

As China’s economic growth slows, stable monetary and fiscal policy remain the top priorities for 2022. Beijing is also expected to focus more on housing, pronatalist incentives and ‘tertiary distribution’ under its new Common Prosperity policy From 8-10 December, Chinese leaders convened their annual Central Economic Work Conference (CEWC). The read-out of the conference stresses the urgent need to address ‘three pressures’: shrinking demand, supply shocks, and a weakening economic …