logo
episode-header-image
Aug 2023
45m 4s

The Four Big Structural Forces Holding B...

bloomberg
About this episode

The Chinese economy is in a slump. Industrial production is down. Retail sales are down. The property industry continues to struggle. The People's Bank of China just did a surprise rate cut. So what's driving the decline and what can the government do about it? On this episode of the podcast we speak with Zongyuan Zoe Liu, the Maurice R. Greenberg Fellow for China Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations and the author of the new book Sovereign Funds: How the Communist Party of China Finances Its Global Ambitions. She explains how the "four Ds" — demand, debt, demographics and decoupling — are acting as a persistent drag on the Chinese economy right now. We discuss possible policy responses and how China's war chest of financial assets plays into the government's strategy.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Up next
Today
Tom Barkin on Why Central Banking Is on Hard Mode Now
According to Richmond Federal Reserve Bank President Tom Barkin, much of the time central banking is straightforward. Sometimes it's clear that rate cuts are needed. Sometimes it's clear that rate hikes are needed. Other times everything is going great, and central bankers don't ... Show More
28m 45s
Aug 23
Why Austan Goolsbee Is Still Concerned About Inflation
Chicago Fed President Austan Goolsbee is still more concerned about the inflation side of the Fed's mandate than he is about the employment side. This is noteworthy because in general markets are expecting rate cuts to come soon, and also Chairman Jerome Powell, speaking in Jacks ... Show More
34m 35s
Aug 22
Lots More on What Just Happened With the Fed at Jackson Hole
We're still at the Kansas City Federal Reserve Bank's annual economic symposium in Jackson Hole, where we just heard Fed Chair Jerome Powell's big speech. The speech -- which opened the door to a September rate cut -- proved to be a dovish surprise to the market and stocks are no ... Show More
18m 1s
Recommended Episodes
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
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
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
China's weakening economy in two Indicators
In China, data on the economy is sometimes difficult to come by. The Chinese government has put a pause on releasing some of its official economic data. But many of the stories emerging from the country paint a clear picture: the second largest economy in the world is struggling. ... Show More
18m 32s
Aug 2022
China's economic challenge
China, the so-called engine of global growth, seems to be stalling badly right now. The country is facing rising unemployment, falling factory output and a collapsing property market. Plus, a growing number of regular Chinese citizens are complaining that the country's tough anti ... Show More
18m 3s
Nov 2023
China's real estate crisis, explained
China's economic growth for the past few decades has been extraordinary. And much of that growth was fueled by real estate – it was like this miraculous economic engine for the country. But recently, that engine seems to have stopped working. And that has raised all kinds of ques ... Show More
20m 17s
Nov 2022
Is China’s economy in trouble?
Xi Jinping has begun an unprecedented third term as Chinese president, after securing his position at the Communist Party Congress. But key economic data was delayed until after the congress ended. It was lower than government targets, causing Chinese markets to fall. The Chinese ... Show More
23m 49s
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
Aug 2023
Money Talks: Is America’s China policy working?
When is economic decoupling not economic decoupling? When it drives your allies to tighter commercial links with your adversary. That’s the situation the US finds itself in today, when it comes to its policies directed against China. Since the Trump administration put tariffs on ... Show More
43m 49s
Aug 2023
Money Talks: Is America’s China policy working?
When is economic decoupling not economic decoupling? When it drives your allies to tighter commercial links with your adversary. That’s the situation the US finds itself in today, when it comes to its policies directed against China. Since the Trump administration put tariffs on ... Show More
43m 49s