China Economics Weekly Another rare earths crunch China's rare earth exports have been falling ever since Presidents Trump and Xi met in May, despite US suggestions that China had committed to keep shipments flowing. There has been no public pushback... 11th September 2026 · 5 mins read
China Economics Weekly US-China AI gap widens again The release of several new US models this week has pushed Chinese AI further away from the frontier. US AI labs appear to be eroding China's cost advantage too. But it is too soon to conclude that... 4th September 2026 · 6 mins read
China Economics Weekly PBOC leans against RMB gains, sanction risks limited The premium between the renminbi spot rate and the PBOC’s daily fix is now at its largest in over a decade, a sign that the central bank is becoming more resistant to further appreciation. The PBOC is... 28th August 2026 · 5 mins read
China Economics Weekly Fiscal tweaks, labour market holding up In a press conference today, officials from China's Ministry of Finance pledged to ramp up the pace of fiscal spending in the second half of the year. This will mainly come from better use of existing... 21st August 2026 · 4 mins read
China Economics Weekly PBOC won’t defer rate cuts indefinitely In its Q2 monetary policy report published earlier this week, the PBOC vowed to make timely adjustments to policy but stopped short of signalling rate cuts. For now, the central bank seems focussed on... 14th August 2026 · 5 mins read
China Economics Weekly US import bans are a double-edged sword The US is considering banning imports of Chinese optical transceivers, according to a Reuters report published this week. While a transceiver ban alone wouldn't do much to dent exports, the risk for... 7th August 2026 · 6 mins read
China Economics Weekly Chipmaking progress doesn’t change bigger picture While news this week that a Chinese firm has started to mass-produce advanced lithography machines is a momentous development for chipmaking in China, China's hardware lag is still significant. As a... 31st July 2026 · 5 mins read
China Economics Weekly Fiscal spending slows again Government spending has now been contracting for four months, according to data published this week, as local governments appear to be channelling bond proceeds into restructuring off-balance sheet... 24th July 2026 · 6 mins read
China Economics Weekly Global views are shifting in China’s favour Public opinion favours China over the US in most major economies, according to survey data published by the Pew Research Center this week. That includes several countries that we classify as... 17th July 2026 · 5 mins read
China Economics Weekly AI fracturing is broadening out Reports that China's Ministry of Commerce has been looking into restricting foreign access to top Chinese AI models are yet another sign that the bifurcation of US and Chinese AI stacks is moving... 10th July 2026 · 8 mins read
China Economics Weekly US-China AI competition continues to heat up This week’s reversal of US export controls on Anthropic’s most powerful AI models appears to have been partly motivated by the recent release of GLM-5.2, a highly competitive alternative that is... 3rd July 2026 · 6 mins read
China Economics Weekly China relaxing restrictions on refined fuel exports China's government will reportedly ease its restrictions on refined fuel exports further next month. That should be reflected in increased refinery output, but it will only support China's crude oil... 26th June 2026 · 5 mins read
China Economics Weekly PBOC to narrow rate corridor, no signs of healthier credit The PBOC has announced plans to increase its control over overnight interest rates, marking another step in its efforts to adopt a more orthodox policy making approach. Still, the PBOC's multiple... 19th June 2026 · 5 mins read
China Economics Weekly The PBOC can’t boost household credit demand Slowing credit growth in China is yet another sign of the dwindling consumption appetite of households. Bank lending to households has been contracting outright in recent months, even though liquidity... 12th June 2026 · 5 mins read
China Economics Weekly Industrial policy boosting exports… According to a new OECD report, the subsidies that Chinese firms have received over the past two decades explain almost 60% of their gains in global export market share. But, while China's industrial... 5th June 2026 · 7 mins read
China Economics Weekly Iran war and AI boom lift industrial profits Growth in China’s industrial profits accelerated in April, with firms benefitting from higher output prices while mitigating the impact of higher input costs by tapping inventories. The sectors that... 29th May 2026 · 5 mins read
