Consumer prices fell in China in February and remain flat in a sluggish economy
"The National Bureau of Statistics said Sunday that the consumer price index dropped 0.7% in February compared with a year ago. On a monthly basis, prices were down 0.2% from January.
[...] The producer price index, which measures the wholesale price of goods, fell 2.2% in February, the statistics bureau said. Producer prices have been falling more sharply than consumer prices, putting pressure on companies to cut labor and other costs."
--- That recovery is off to a good start this year. Don't you dare mention the evil word recession, everything will be fine & China will reach 5% GDP growth.
US judge holds China liable for Covid 19 cover-up and 'hoarding PPE', slaps $24 billion penalty
"A Missouri federal judge has held the Chinese government accountable for covering up the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic and stockpiling protective equipment (PPE), issuing a judgment of over $24 billion.
[...] We intend to collect every penny by seizing Chinese-owned assets, including Missouri farmland"
--- Ouch! The follow-up will be interesting, particularly the Chinese reaction. Earlier, the CCP had said:
"Chinese officials contested its validity. Foreign ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang described the lawsuit as "very absurd" and "has no factual and legal basis at all.""
--- Too bad that US judges are not bound by Chinese laws.
China’s life expectancy soars to 79, but demographic woes also on the climb
"the average life expectancy reached 79 years old in 2024 - an increase of 0.4 years from 2023"
--- Hmm, 0.4 years is called 'soaring'? Anyway, I don't trust these numbers. Life expectancy essentially grew during the Covid years? Dubious.
China has a message for Trump: the US won’t stop its rise
"The “giant ship of China’s economy” will “sail steadily toward the future,”"
--- Well, maybe... but it very much looks like the new great helmsman is steering towards quite a number of icebergs.
"while Beijing’s priorities – and rhetoric – may echo those of years past, this time they are coming from a country that is starting to regain its swagger after being battered by its own Covid restrictions, a property sector crisis and by a tech war with the US"
VOA Mandarin: China's global propaganda campaigns, foreigners make a fortune in China
--- Bloomberg: "China’s Economic Challenges With Lawrence H. Summers" (Mostly dubious.)
Deflationssorgen in China: Preise deutlich gesunken
"Wie das Statistikamt in Peking mitteilte, sank der Verbraucherpreisindex im Februar um 0,7 Prozent gegenüber demselben Vorjahresmonat."
--- Tja, sieht nicht so aus, als würde es dieses Jahr besser gehen als 2024. Aber keine Sorge: die 5% Wirtschaftswachstum werden mit Sicherheit erreicht. Egal wie.