China news roundup / Nachrichten 2025-10-19/20

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bossel5.1 K20 hours ago4 min read

China's economic growth slows as trade tensions with US flare up

"China's economic growth slowed in the three months to the end of September as problems in the property market persisted and trade tensions with the US flared up.
The world's second-largest economy grew by 4.8% compared to the same period in 2024, its weakest pace in a year, official figures"

"Beijing has set a goal of "around 5%" economic growth this year and has so far avoided a sharp downturn, helped by government support measures"

--- Mostly helped by fake numbers. And if you want to see some more fantasy growth...:

China’s economy grows 4.8% in third quarter as expected, but investment sees ‘rare and alarming’ drop

"China’s Statistics Bureau said disposable income for city residents rose 4.5% in the first three quarters of the year after adjusting for price changes, while rural residents saw a 6% increase"

--- Funny that: there are hundreds of millions of people with actually shrinking salaries or - if they are unlucky - not getting paid at all.

"The core consumer price index, which strips out food and energy, rose at its fastest pace since February 2024. But headline inflation fell 0.3%, missing expectations as deflationary pressures persisted."

--- Deflationary pressures... Yeah, and that's probably a sign of an economy growing by around 5%.

China's biggest shopping event starts five weeks early to revive spending

"this year, Single's Day sales have already begun in mid-October, as part of efforts by Chinese retailers to boost spending in a sluggish market."

--- Or perhaps because they are growing desperate to sell anything at all?

Chinese tech giants pause stablecoin plans after Beijing steps in

"Chinese tech giants, including Alibaba-backed Ant Group and e-commerce group JD.com, have paused plans to issue stablecoins in Hong Kong after the government raised concerns about the rise of currencies controlled by the private sector, the Financial Times reported on Saturday.
Companies have put their stablecoin ambitions on hold after receiving instructions from Chinese regulators, including the People’s Bank of China and Cyberspace Administration of China, not to move ahead with the plans"

--- And there are still people out there who believe that China would legalize cryptocurrency in China itself.

To hit back at the United States in their trade war, China borrows from the US playbook

Australia accuses China of 'unsafe' military jet manoeuvres

China imports record amount of Mongolian coal in September

--- China Uncensored: "War With China Is Coming"

--- China Uncensored: "China’s War on Christianity Just Got Worse"

--- DW NewsChina's CCP holds major policy meeting as US trade tensions rise

--- Spectator: Britain’s open secret: the truth about China's espionage

"Ökonomen machen für den nachlassenden Schwung vor allem anhaltende Probleme im Inland verantwortlich, etwa die Immobilienkrise und eine verhaltene Konsumstimmung. "Die Ausgabenbereitschaft der Haushalte wird auch durch den anhaltenden Rückgang der Immobilienpreise gebremst, die den stärksten Rückgang seit einem Jahr verzeichnen"
[...] Fachleute verweisen darauf, dass das Wachstum zu einem nicht unerheblichen Teil von staatlich finanzierten Investitionen getragen wird. Auffällig ist dabei, dass trotz einer immer noch relativ hohen Wachstumsrate die Preise sinken. Eine solche Deflation gilt als Zeichen für Zurückhaltung der Verbraucher und Überkapazitäten in der Industrie."

--- Deflation könnte natürlich auch ein Zeichen für eine Rezession sein. Aber Rezession? In China? Nein, das ist doch unmöglich.