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Inside China

This Month

A worker checks solar panels at a factory in Jiujiang in central China. The country has emerged as an industry leader in green energy sectors.

This is how China could lift growth while cutting global emissions

A shift towards green development could help stabilise the Chinese economy while supporting the world’s energy transition.

  • Yiping Huang
China’s advanced manufacturing muscles have exploded in size, sophistication and quantity.

China’s staggering manufacturing muscle needs to be seen to be believed

Since Trump was last in office, Beijing has doubled down on its efforts to gain global supremacy in electric cars, robots and rare materials. America could be toast if it doesn’t respond.

  • Thomas Friedman
Animal spirits tamed: statues of bulls in Pudong’s Lujiazui Financial District in Shanghai, China, in October

How Shanghai’s ambition to be the ‘future of finance’ fell apart

The port city was meant to be China’s answer to New York, but trade tensions and changing domestic priorities have taken a toll.

  • Thomas Hale and Cheng Leng
BYD launched its Shark 6 plug in hybrid ute in Australia last month.

EVs to get even cheaper as price war enters ‘knockout’ round

Australia will benefit from a brutal and stepped up cost-cutting battle between China’s manufacturers.

  • Jessica Sier
Concerns about a US-China trade war have accelerated the Aussie dollar’s fall.

Chinese exporters race to dodge Trump’s tariffs

Sellers from China, Canada and Mexico are rushing to front-load shipments into the US before the levies rise.

  • Joe Leahy, Tina Hu and Wenjie Ding
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People’s Liberation Army soldiers stand guard in Tiananmen Square in October.

China to crack down on violent lone-wolf attacks over economic woes

A spate of deadly attacks has put pressure on officials to expand surveillance to prevent violent forces from destabilising an anxious society.

  • Jing Li and Daniela Wei

November

Chinese Defence Minister Dong Jun at the key November meeting in Laos.

China’s defence minister under investigation for corruption

US officials say the probe is part of a wider operation to uncover graft in the People’s Liberation Army.

  • Demetri Sevastopulo
Shoppers on Shanghai’s Nanjing East Road.

China’s retail sales jump as economy shows green shoots

Stronger consumption figures suggest stimulus measures may be filtering through to household spending. But the property sector still faces major problems.

  • Updated
  • Jessica Sier
China’s local governments will receive major support to ease their huge debts.

China keeps its powder dry for US tariff hit

Shares and oil prices fell as investors bet the latest stimulus package would do little to fire up a depressed property market or boost flagging consumer confidence.

  • Updated
  • Jessica Sier
China’s local governments will receive support.

China pledges $2.1trn package to shore up economy

China announced trillions of yuan to support its heavily indebted local governments, as the world’s second-largest economy faces new risks from Donald Trump.

  • Jessica Sier
Chinese shoppers in Beijing.

Consumer giants sceptical of China’s economic recovery

Falling sales for luxury, beauty and beer companies fuel doubts about Beijing’s attempts to boost confidence.

  • Richard Milne, Madeleine Speed and Oliver Ralph

October

Why Xi Jinping changed his mind on China’s fiscal stimulus

After resisting calls to intervene, Beijing has made a sudden U-turn. But will the package be enough to get the economy back on track?

  • Joe Leahy, Edward White and Cheng Leng
Residential buildings under construction at a China Resources Land Ltd. development in Shanghai

China’s lacklustre growth drags on as stimulus ramps up

The lowest growth figure in 18 months comes as Beijing increases stimulus promises to try to boost China’s sluggish economy.

  • Fran Wang
Customers in the once popular Lan Kwai Fong drinking and eating area in Hong Kong.

Hong Kong slashes tax on alcohol to revive city

The Chinese territory’s chief executive John Lee is trying to turn around the economy amid a fall in tourism and consumption.

  • Kiuyan Wong and Shirley Zhao
Ian Bremmer says Beijing’s best option to stimulate growth in the short term is to give direct fiscal stimulus to consumers.

China’s new stimulus underwhelms as ‘big fat’ numbers missing

Chances of China rolling out a massive stimulus package to boost its faltering economy are fading after Saturday’s announcement failed to reveal details.

  • Jessica Sier
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China’s finance minister Lan Fo’an says there’s room for his government to issue more debt.

More vague promises as China scrambles to reignite growth

China will allow local governments to use bonds to buy unsold homes in a bid to prop up the struggling economy.

  • Jessica Sier
Although there will be significant bad debts in China, they appear to have already peaked.

‘Not investible’: The clamour for deeper reforms in China

China has been slow to adjust its economy after COVID-19 and consumers are still hoarding cash, hit by a huge slump in the property market.

  • Jessica Sier
Brokers haven’t given up more stimulus to help reflate China’s economy.

Fresh hopes for China stimulus and private sector reform

Foreign investors say China’s moves to free up private business might reduce unemployment, encourage investment and boost consumer confidence.

  • Jessica Sier
Xi Jinping

China demands schoolteachers hand in their passports

The passport collection drive allows local government officials to control and monitor who can travel abroad, how often and to where.

  • Ryan McMorrow, Nian Liu, Sun Yu and Gloria Li

September

President Xi Jinping needs to step in to save China’s economy from falling into a deflationary spiral.

China’s stimulus no bazooka, but urgency has arrived

China’s efforts to stimulate its economy this week were welcomed and the fight against a slowing economy appears to be on.

  • Jessica Sier

Original URL: https://www.afr.com/topic/inside-china-1n87