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Economic Indicators

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China’s consumer price index is being watched closely as tariff increases raise fears of deflation. Photo: Simon Song
China deflation

China’s consumer prices fall in April, fuelling fears of deflation

The country’s consumer price index dropped by 0.1 per cent last month as trade war raises concerns over deflationary pressures.

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China jobs

China could miss jobs target amid trade war, property sector trouble: analysts

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China exports

‘Surprise’: Chinese exports resilient in April despite US tariffs

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China trade

China’s biggest trade fair breaks records despite US tariffs

Canton Fair’s strong overseas attendance figures surprised exhibitors and analysts, but transaction volume failed to beat pre-pandemic heights.

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Purchasers learn about products at the 137th China Import and Export Fair, also known as the Canton Fair, in Guangzhou, south China’s Guangdong Province on May 5, 2025. Photo: Xinhua/Huang Guobao
Purchasers learn about products at the 137th China Import and Export Fair, also known as the Canton Fair, in Guangzhou, south China’s Guangdong Province on May 5, 2025. Photo: Xinhua/Huang Guobao
US-China trade war

First blood? Trump’s trade war starts to bite as China’s cargo shipments slump

US tariffs are beginning to take a toll – but some analysts believe Beijing could still achieve 5 per cent GDP target.

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China manufacturing

China’s factory activity contracts as tariffs darken trade landscape

China’s purchasing managers’ index for April comes in at 49, falling short of expectations as US tariffs begin to bite.

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China GDP

Shenzhen lags China in GDP, exports as tech hub preps for tariff wave

The southern metropolis failed to beat the national average, even as exporters locked in early orders to get ahead of US tariffs.

Shenzhen’s first-quarter GDP and export figures fell behind those of China as a whole, a worrying sign as US tariffs begin to take effect. Photo: Reuters
Shenzhen’s first-quarter GDP and export figures fell behind those of China as a whole, a worrying sign as US tariffs begin to take effect. Photo: Reuters
China's population

More Chinese leave the knot untied as marriage registrations drop

Marriages saw a year-on-year fall of 8 per cent in China for the first quarter of 2025 – a worrying sign as demographic decline continues.

Electric & new energy vehicles

Chinese carmakers put brakes on self-driving hype at Shanghai show

‘Safety’ is the big buzzword as firms adjust tone amid Beijing’s closer scrutiny after a fatal crash involving a driver-assistance system.

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Banking & finance

China’s wealthy are hoarding cash amid an uncertain economy, survey finds

Chinese high-net-worth investors are wary of taking risks during a period of intense turbulence.

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China’s high-net-worth investors are parking their money in cash and near-cash products amid a period of economic turbulence, according to a new report. Photo: Reuters
US-China trade war

China’s critical metal exports plummet as trade war curbs take effect

Shipments of several critical minerals have halted entirely, putting the US tech sector under pressure.

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Workers transport soil containing rare earths for export at a port in eastern China’s Jiangsu province. China holds a dominant position in the global supply chain for rare earth minerals. Photo: Reuters
Workers transport soil containing rare earths for export at a port in eastern China’s Jiangsu province. China holds a dominant position in the global supply chain for rare earth minerals. Photo: Reuters
China trade

China’s container bookings to plunge up to 60% as US tariffs wipe out trade

But shipping traffic in the rest of Asia is bouncing back as traders rush to take advantage of US ‘reciprocal’ tariff pause.

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China GDP

China’s economy grows 5.4% in first quarter ahead of full-blown US trade war

The country’s GDP growth beat expectations to March, but worries persist about the looming impact of the US trade conflict.

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China GDP

‘Open door red’ to ‘summer blue’: will second quarter slam China’s GDP again?

Recent years have seen China’s economic growth decelerate in the second quarter – a pattern that threatens to continue this summer amid an intensifying trade war.

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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen
China exports

‘Final hurrah’: China’s exports up 12.4% in March amid pre-tariff rush

Trade figures reflect resilience of export machine and rapid reorientation of shipments as uncertainty swirls over eventual scope and impact of tariffs.

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China’s exports remained resilient in March despite new tariffs from US President Donald Trump. Photo: Xinhua
China’s exports remained resilient in March despite new tariffs from US President Donald Trump. Photo: Xinhua
China inflation

China’s consumer prices fall in March as trade war reaches fever pitch

China’s consumer prices declined 0.1 per cent at a decisive moment in protracted trade conflict with US.

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China’s economic stimulus

‘I’m not attracted’: why China is struggling to convince consumers to borrow

Beijing is offering easier access to credit in a bid to boost consumption, but households are reluctant to take on debt amid a global trade war.

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China's economic recovery

Fitch cuts China rating on weakening finances, debt concerns

China’s Ministry of Finance reacted strongly, describing the decision to downgrade from “A+” to “A” as biased and not reflective of reality.

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The Fitch Ratings Inc. logo is seen at its headquarters in New York’s financial district on March 18. Photo: AFP
The Fitch Ratings Inc. logo is seen at its headquarters in New York’s financial district on March 18. Photo: AFP
Yuan

China battles to stabilise yuan after Trump’s tariffs spark market upheaval

China’s central bank set the currency’s fixing rate at its lowest level since January, as regulators warned of market volatility.

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Made in China 2025

Stay humble? China ranks itself 10th in new global innovation league table

But China has risen up the rankings faster than any other nation over the past 12 years, according to the report.

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China manufacturing

China’s factory activity speeds up on export boost, Caixin PMI shows

But China’s macroeconomic policies must be ‘more proactive and decisive’, with immediate implementations, to support a recovery, economist says.

A worker welds at a steel-processing factory on Saturday. China’s factory activity showed signs of speeding up in March. Photo: Xinhua
China's economic recovery

China’s factory activity accelerates in March even as US ramps up tariffs

China’s manufacturing activity hit a 12-month high as Beijing introduced a slew of measures to boost the economy.

China’s factory activity remained resilient in March despite US moves to raise tariffs on Chinese imports. Photo: Xinhua
China’s factory activity remained resilient in March despite US moves to raise tariffs on Chinese imports. Photo: Xinhua
China's economic recovery

China’s industrial profits unexpectedly fall in ominous sign for economy

Economists had predicted China’s industrial firms would record robust profit growth in the first two months of the year.

China GDP

What tariffs? Another China GDP forecast rises on fast start, capital outlays

Morgan Stanley joins others in growing more bullish on China’s economy for the year, but US tariffs seen biting amid ‘supply-chain rewiring’.

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US-China trade war

China’s Silicon Valley sees exports slump over 16% as trade war fears rise

Analysts are divided over the causes of the sharp slowdown in Shenzhen, one of China’s most important trade hubs.

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Shenzhen is one of China’s largest cities and a key tech and trading hub. Photo: Getty Images
China Future Tech
HIGHLIGHTS FROM
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Tech Trends

Alibaba’s Qwen3 unseats DeepSeek’s R1 as world’s top-ranked open-source AI model

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The broader LiveBench rankings showed that Qwen3 still trailed the top closed-source AI models, including OpenAI’s o3, Google’s Gemini Pro 2.5 and Anthropic’s Claude 3.7. Photo: Shutterstock

Business

Big Chinese pharma can beat Trump’s policies with cost efficiencies: analysts

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A humanoid robot is shown delivering drugs at a mock pharmacy in Beijing in April 2025. Photo: EPA-EFE

Tech Trends

Huawei, UBTech team up to bring humanoid robots to factories and homes

UBTech’s Walker robot seen at the company’s offices in Shenzhen. Photo: Edmond So

Big Tech

China’s StepFun aims to stand out in AI race with multimodal models

AI start-up StepFun is doubling down on multimodal models to stand out from the competition. Photo: Handout

Tech Trends

China’s humanoid robot makers lack unified ‘end-to-end’ AI system: Unitree CEO

The G1 humanoid robot model from Unitree Robotics gives a hug at the firm’s exhibition hall in Hangzhou, capital of eastern Zhejiang province, on April 23, 2025. Photo: Xinhua
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