China’s Economic Slowdown

Article written by guest writer Rin Mitchell

What’s the Latest Development?

Recent data reports have painted a mixed picture in regards to China’s economy. In industrial production and electricity consumption, reports indicate a slow growth in numbers. According to government indexes, property prices that were once booming have fallen. Also, it is reported China cut bank interest rates. On the other hand, reports show the Chinese economy is not that bad off. Despite the crisis situation in China’s largest export market—Europe—export numbers surprisingly doubled from an expected 6.8 per cent to 15.3 percent. It is due to the increased demand for Chinese-made goods from the U.S. Prices of oil imports have reportedly gone up to 6 billion barrels a day in May. In addition, copper is predicted to perform well. Several analysts expect copper prices to begin to pick up this week. At this point, it is hard to tell by the latest data report where China’s economy is really headed. There is low productivity in some areas and high productivity in other areas. For China, it is all about balancing inflation rates and economic growth. 

What’s the Big Idea?

The slowdown in China’s economy may have been unexpected, but the economy is still growing. While recent data does raise concerns, economists do not believe that China will suffer any major impacts to their economy.