logo
episode-header-image
Jul 2023
22m 59s

China’s Economic Rebound Hits a Wall

The New York Times
About this episode

When China suddenly dismantled its lockdowns and other Covid precautions last December, officials in Beijing and many investors expected the economy to spring back to life. It hasn’t worked out that way.

Daisuke Wakabayashi, an Asia business correspondent for The Times, explains why China’s economic rebound hit a wall, and what it says about the country’s next chapter.

Guest: Daisuke Wakabayashi, an Asia business correspondent for The New York Times.

Background reading: 

  • Policymakers and investors expected China’s economy to rev up again after Beijing abruptly dropped Covid precautions, but recent data shows alarming signs of a slowdown.
  • Nanchang’s skyscrapers represented urban transformation, but the city added apartments faster than its population grew. The result: vacant homes and offices.

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. 

Up next
Yesterday
A Consequential Supreme Court Term Begins With a Conversion Therapy Case
Warning: this episode contains mentions of suicide.In one of the first cases of the Supreme Court’s new term, the justices considered whether to strike down a ban on conversion therapy, the contentious practice that aims to change a young person’s sexual orientation.Ann E. Marimo ... Show More
30m 29s
Oct 8
Trump Claims ‘Rebellion’ in American Cities
Over the past week, ICE and border patrol agents have clashed with Chicago residents, and federal guard troops arriving in the city might inflame tensions further.Julie Bosman, Chicago bureau chief for The Times, and Mattathias Schwartz describe the situation on the ground and ex ... Show More
34m 31s
Oct 7
Marriage and Sex in the Age of Ozempic
In the last few years, GLP-1 weight-loss drugs like Ozempic and Zepbound have been radically reshaping the people’s lives, changing appetites and health.But the drugs also have the power to affect other parts of consumers’ lives, including their romantic relationships.Lisa Miller ... Show More
37m 17s
Recommended Episodes
Sep 2023
China's boom changed the world. Now, it faces a slump
As Canada deals with high inflation and a housing shortage, the world’s second-largest economy is grappling with a nearly opposite reality. China has been booming for over 40 years as Beijing invested heavily to build up the country. But now, demand for housing is sinking amid ov ... Show More
22m 15s
Aug 2023
Drum Tower: Hey, big spenders
The end of China’s zero-covid restrictions was meant to revitalise its economy. But the rebound has fizzled, resulting in weak growth and deflation. Chinese consumers are not spending—and that is a problem for policymakers. David Rennie, The Economist’s Beijing bureau chief, and ... Show More
32m 54s
Dec 2022
Money Talks: China reopens
China’s draconian zero-covid policies have required repeated and lengthy lockdowns, enormous make-shift quarantine facilities, and endless testing for the population. They have also done real damage to its economy. After rare outbreaks of protest against the policy in several cit ... Show More
35m 59s
Dec 2022
Money Talks: China reopens
China’s draconian zero-covid policies have required repeated and lengthy lockdowns, enormous make-shift quarantine facilities, and endless testing for the population. They have also done real damage to its economy. After rare outbreaks of protest against the policy in several cit ... Show More
35m 59s
Sep 2023
Drum Tower: Inside Fortress China
Panzhihua used to be a state secret. The steel-making city, buried deep in the mountains of Sichuan, formed part of Mao Zedong’s Third Front, a covert plan to move core industries inland in case America or the Soviet Union attacked. David Rennie, The Economist’s Beijing bureau ch ... Show More
42m 1s
Oct 2022
Did China miss its chance to fix its economy?
The spotlight is on China as the Communist party’s 20th National Congress takes place this week. At a critical moment when President Xi Jinping prepares to stay on for an unprecedented third term as leader, there’s an important problem: China’s economy is slowing down. The FT’s C ... Show More
16m 41s
Sep 2023
Money Talks: China’s property crisis
Thousands of building projects across China have been halted or dramatically slowed as a rolling crisis engulfs the country’s property sector. The government’s “three red lines” policy sought to limit the leverage of property developers, but has now forced scores of them into def ... Show More
43m 16s
Aug 2023
Drum Tower: Hey, big spenders
The end of China’s zero-covid restrictions was meant to revitalise its economy. But the rebound has fizzled, resulting in weak growth and deflation. Chinese consumers are not spending—and that is a problem for policymakers. David Rennie, The Economist’s Beijing bureau chief, and ... Show More
32m 54s
Aug 2023
Xi Jinping’s Economic Plan: Let China Struggle
China’s economic slowdown is catching the attention of countries around the world as they brace for a possible hit to their own economies. Bloomberg’s Rebecca Choong Wilkins and Tom Hancock discuss why President Xi Jinping is avoiding a big stimulus package and instead allowing C ... Show More
28m 27s
Sep 2023
Money Talks: China’s property crisis
Thousands of building projects across China have been halted or dramatically slowed as a rolling crisis engulfs the country’s property sector. The government’s “three red lines” policy sought to limit the leverage of property developers, but has now forced scores of them into def ... Show More
43m 16s