https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02uxPQlUEUo China GDP Hits 30-Year Low: Real Growth Near Zero, CCP’s Worst Fear Begins18 Jul 2026 #chinaobserver (contd) belief that hard work may not pay off and taking risks isn't worth it, that 9:34 expectation becomes deeply entrenched, 9:36 making recovery far more difficult than 9:39 simply repairing financial losses. 9:41 China's aging population and worsening 9:43 demographic structure have created 9:45 enormous pressure today. Even if 9:47 institutional reforms were introduced, 9:49 the demographic trend cannot be reversed 9:52 in the short term. Institutions 9:53 determine the ceiling of an economy. 9:56 While demographics shape its long-term 9:58 trajectory, however, the Chinese 10:00 Communist Party's failed governance 10:02 system has made households, businesses, 10:04 and banks simultaneously more 10:06 conservative, reducing society's overall 10:09 willingness to take risks. This critics 10:11 argue is the deepest and most difficult 10:13 structural problem to reverse. Concerns 10:16 about the accuracy of China's GDP 10:18 figures have long been a major issue 10:20 discussed by international economists, 10:22 financial institutions, and think tanks. 10:25 Many analysts have questioned whether 10:27 official economic data has been 10:29 overstated and have relied on 10:31 alternative indicators to assess China's 10:33 real economic conditions. The Financial 10:35 Times reported that unlike the 10:37 internationally used production, 10:39 expenditure, and income approaches, 10:42 China has partly continued to use a 10:44 Soviet style accounting method. It adds 10:46 up the value of raw materials used by 10:48 state-owned factories and the value of 10:51 goods produced, potentially leading to 10:53 double counting. Another key factor is 10:55 that the promotion of local officials is 10:58 closely tied to economic growth targets. 11:00 This GDP focused performance system can 11:03 encourage local officials to exaggerate 11:05 or inflate economic figures. Recently, 11:08 Ruchir Sharma, chairman of Rockefeller 11:11 International, wrote in the Financial 11:12 Times. He said that China's economic 11:15 growth has fallen below that of many 11:17 other countries. His estimates suggest 11:20 that China's current real GDP growth is 11:22 close to zero. The article argues that 11:24 the scale of capital outflows is one 11:27 indication that official GDP figures may 11:30 be overstated. Since 2020, the Chinese 11:33 government has launched regulatory 11:34 crackdowns on sectors including 11:36 technology, real estate, gaming, and 11:38 entertainment. Foreign companies have 11:41 gradually scaled back their operations 11:42 in China, while net foreign direct 11:45 investment has turned negative. In 2025, 11:48 an estimated $420 billion dollars in 11:51 capital flowed out of China, setting a 11:53 record high. The article argues that in 11:56 established economic models, capital and 11:58 talent are among the most sensitive 12:00 indicators. If an economy were truly
growing at a real rate of 4.5 to 5%, 12:05 capital should be flowing in or staying. 12:08 But record capital outflows suggest that 12:10 returns on investment inside China have 12:13 become extremely low or have even 12:15 triggered capital panic, providing 12:17 indirect evidence that China's economic 12:19 growth momentum has been exhausted. The 12:22 article said that China's economy is 12:24 facing multiple challenges, including a 12:26 shrinking workforce, rising debt levels, 12:29 a collapsing property market, and 12:31 increasingly interventionist 12:33 regulations. These factors have also 12:35 contributed to the outflow of both 12:37 capital and talent. China's officially 12:40 reported GDP growth figures have 12:42 repeatedly been questioned by analysts. 12:44 On January 19th, 2026, Beijing announced 12:48 that China's GDP grew 5% yearon-year in 12:51 2025, meeting its official target. 12:54 However, a report by the US think tank 12:56 Rodeium Group estimated that China's 12:58 actual GDP growth in 2025 was between 13:02 2.5% and 3% roughly half of the official 13:05 figure. Commenting on the report, 13:07 business professor Dr. Frank Shiaen at 13:10 the University of South Carolina said 13:12 that China's real economic growth rate 13:14 may actually be negative. She said, "I 13:17 believe China's true economic growth 13:19 rate should be negative because 13:20 currently only foreign trade is still 13:22 holding up while infrastructure 13:24 investment and consumption are shrinking 13:26 significantly." Shia said Rodium Group's 13:29 figures were only closer to reality and 13:31 had identified some of the exaggeration 13:33 in China's official data, but he argued 13:36 that Beijing has long falsified economic 13:38 figures and that the real situation is 13:41 one of continued decline. Chinese 13:43 economist Gao Shan Wen had also 13:46 repeatedly questioned China's economic 13:48 data before his death. On December 12th, 13:50 2024, during a speech at a forum in 13:53 Washington, Gao said that based on his 13:56 internal multi-level surveys combined 13:58 with adjustments using electricity
consumption and freight data, China's 14:02 actual average GDP growth over the 14:04 previous two to three years may have 14:06 been around 2%. The remarks were quickly 14:09 viewed as a direct challenge to China's 14:11 top leadership. Beijing has long treated 14:13 GDP growth as a crucial indicator of its 14:16 governing legitimacy. While its 14:18 statistical system has allowed official 14:19 figures to remain largely insulated from 14:22 outside scrutiny, Gaus's criticism 14:24 provided the international academic 14:26 community with an insider perspective. 14:28 His Washington speech quickly brought 14:30 political repercussions for Gao. After 14:32 the speech, Gao disappeared from public 14:34 view for nearly a year, fueling 14:36 widespread speculation on Wall Street 14:38 that he had been secretly detained. In 14:41 January 2025, Ga reportedly told a small 14:44 number of close friends and colleagues 14:46 that he had been diagnosed with mid to 14:47 late stage cancer. Gao died on 26 at the 14:50 age of 55. On July 16th, Taiwan-based 14:54 macroeconomist and veteran political and 14:56 economic commentator Wu Jaong said that 14:59 collecting economic data requires clear 15:01 procedures and standards, including what 15:04 data should be counted, what should be 15:06 excluded, and how different indicators 15:08 are defined. He said the process is 15:11 highly complex, noting that the people 15:13 who helped design statistical systems in 15:15 Western countries even received the 15:17 Nobel Prize in Economics for their work. 15:19 Wu gave unemployment rates as an 15:21 example. He explained that calculating 15:23 unemployment requires first defining 15:26 what counts as unemployment. Under 15:28 China's current system, a person must 15:30 meet two conditions to be counted as 15:32 unemployed. They must want to find a job 15:35 and they must not have found one. Those 15:37 who do not actively seek work or do not 15:40 register as job seekers are excluded 15:42 from unemployment statistics. As a 15:44 result, if many people leave the labor 15:46 market after prolonged unemployment, the 15:49 number of unemployed people falls and 15:51 the unemployment rate appears to 15:53 improve. Such statistics, Wu argued, 15:56 cannot accurately reflect the true 15:57 employment situation or support 15:59 effective employment policies. Wu 16:02 concluded that distortions in China's 16:04 economic data have seriously affected 16:06 macroeconomic assessments. With no 16:08 reliable basis for determining whether 16:10 policy should be tightened or loosened, 16:13 authorities are left unsure how to 16:15 respond. As a result, the economic 16:17 situation continues to deteriorate over 16:20 time, potentially heading toward a 16:22 collapse. He compared the situation to a 16:25 patient with latestage cancer.
3 comments:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02uxPQlUEUo
China GDP Hits 30-Year Low: Real Growth Near Zero, CCP’s Worst Fear Begins18 Jul 2026 #chinaobserver (contd) belief that hard work may not pay off
and taking risks isn't worth it, that
9:34
expectation becomes deeply entrenched,
9:36
making recovery far more difficult than
9:39
simply repairing financial losses.
9:41
China's aging population and worsening
9:43
demographic structure have created
9:45
enormous pressure today. Even if
9:47
institutional reforms were introduced,
9:49
the demographic trend cannot be reversed
9:52
in the short term. Institutions
9:53
determine the ceiling of an economy.
9:56
While demographics shape its long-term
9:58
trajectory, however, the Chinese
10:00
Communist Party's failed governance
10:02
system has made households, businesses,
10:04
and banks simultaneously more
10:06
conservative, reducing society's overall
10:09
willingness to take risks. This critics
10:11
argue is the deepest and most difficult
10:13
structural problem to reverse. Concerns
10:16
about the accuracy of China's GDP
10:18
figures have long been a major issue
10:20
discussed by international economists,
10:22
financial institutions, and think tanks.
10:25
Many analysts have questioned whether
10:27
official economic data has been
10:29
overstated and have relied on
10:31
alternative indicators to assess China's
10:33
real economic conditions. The Financial
10:35
Times reported that unlike the
10:37
internationally used production,
10:39
expenditure, and income approaches,
10:42
China has partly continued to use a
10:44
Soviet style accounting method. It adds
10:46
up the value of raw materials used by
10:48
state-owned factories and the value of
10:51
goods produced, potentially leading to
10:53
double counting. Another key factor is
10:55
that the promotion of local officials is
10:58
closely tied to economic growth targets.
11:00
This GDP focused performance system can
11:03
encourage local officials to exaggerate
11:05
or inflate economic figures. Recently,
11:08
Ruchir Sharma, chairman of Rockefeller
11:11
International, wrote in the Financial
11:12
Times. He said that China's economic
11:15
growth has fallen below that of many
11:17
other countries. His estimates suggest
11:20
that China's current real GDP growth is
11:22
close to zero. The article argues that
11:24
the scale of capital outflows is one
11:27
indication that official GDP figures may
11:30
be overstated. Since 2020, the Chinese
11:33
government has launched regulatory
11:34
crackdowns on sectors including
11:36
technology, real estate, gaming, and
11:38
entertainment. Foreign companies have
11:41
gradually scaled back their operations
11:42
in China, while net foreign direct
11:45
investment has turned negative. In 2025,
11:48
an estimated $420 billion dollars in
11:51
capital flowed out of China, setting a
11:53
record high. The article argues that in
11:56
established economic models, capital and
11:58
talent are among the most sensitive
12:00
indicators. If an economy were truly
growing at a real rate of 4.5 to 5%,
12:05
capital should be flowing in or staying.
12:08
But record capital outflows suggest that
12:10
returns on investment inside China have
12:13
become extremely low or have even
12:15
triggered capital panic, providing
12:17
indirect evidence that China's economic
12:19
growth momentum has been exhausted. The
12:22
article said that China's economy is
12:24
facing multiple challenges, including a
12:26
shrinking workforce, rising debt levels,
12:29
a collapsing property market, and
12:31
increasingly interventionist
12:33
regulations. These factors have also
12:35
contributed to the outflow of both
12:37
capital and talent. China's officially
12:40
reported GDP growth figures have
12:42
repeatedly been questioned by analysts.
12:44
On January 19th, 2026, Beijing announced
12:48
that China's GDP grew 5% yearon-year in
12:51
2025, meeting its official target.
12:54
However, a report by the US think tank
12:56
Rodeium Group estimated that China's
12:58
actual GDP growth in 2025 was between
13:02
2.5% and 3% roughly half of the official
13:05
figure. Commenting on the report,
13:07
business professor Dr. Frank Shiaen at
13:10
the University of South Carolina said
13:12
that China's real economic growth rate
13:14
may actually be negative. She said, "I
13:17
believe China's true economic growth
13:19
rate should be negative because
13:20
currently only foreign trade is still
13:22
holding up while infrastructure
13:24
investment and consumption are shrinking
13:26
significantly." Shia said Rodium Group's
13:29
figures were only closer to reality and
13:31
had identified some of the exaggeration
13:33
in China's official data, but he argued
13:36
that Beijing has long falsified economic
13:38
figures and that the real situation is
13:41
one of continued decline. Chinese
13:43
economist Gao Shan Wen had also
13:46
repeatedly questioned China's economic
13:48
data before his death. On December 12th,
13:50
2024, during a speech at a forum in
13:53
Washington, Gao said that based on his
13:56
internal multi-level surveys combined
13:58
with adjustments using electricity
consumption and freight data, China's
14:02
actual average GDP growth over the
14:04
previous two to three years may have
14:06
been around 2%. The remarks were quickly
14:09
viewed as a direct challenge to China's
14:11
top leadership. Beijing has long treated
14:13
GDP growth as a crucial indicator of its
14:16
governing legitimacy. While its
14:18
statistical system has allowed official
14:19
figures to remain largely insulated from
14:22
outside scrutiny, Gaus's criticism
14:24
provided the international academic
14:26
community with an insider perspective.
14:28
His Washington speech quickly brought
14:30
political repercussions for Gao. After
14:32
the speech, Gao disappeared from public
14:34
view for nearly a year, fueling
14:36
widespread speculation on Wall Street
14:38
that he had been secretly detained. In
14:41
January 2025, Ga reportedly told a small
14:44
number of close friends and colleagues
14:46
that he had been diagnosed with mid to
14:47
late stage cancer. Gao died on 26 at the
14:50
age of 55. On July 16th, Taiwan-based
14:54
macroeconomist and veteran political and
14:56
economic commentator Wu Jaong said that
14:59
collecting economic data requires clear
15:01
procedures and standards, including what
15:04
data should be counted, what should be
15:06
excluded, and how different indicators
15:08
are defined. He said the process is
15:11
highly complex, noting that the people
15:13
who helped design statistical systems in
15:15
Western countries even received the
15:17
Nobel Prize in Economics for their work.
15:19
Wu gave unemployment rates as an
15:21
example. He explained that calculating
15:23
unemployment requires first defining
15:26
what counts as unemployment. Under
15:28
China's current system, a person must
15:30
meet two conditions to be counted as
15:32
unemployed. They must want to find a job
15:35
and they must not have found one. Those
15:37
who do not actively seek work or do not
15:40
register as job seekers are excluded
15:42
from unemployment statistics. As a
15:44
result, if many people leave the labor
15:46
market after prolonged unemployment, the
15:49
number of unemployed people falls and
15:51
the unemployment rate appears to
15:53
improve. Such statistics, Wu argued,
15:56
cannot accurately reflect the true
15:57
employment situation or support
15:59
effective employment policies. Wu
16:02
concluded that distortions in China's
16:04
economic data have seriously affected
16:06
macroeconomic assessments. With no
16:08
reliable basis for determining whether
16:10
policy should be tightened or loosened,
16:13
authorities are left unsure how to
16:15
respond. As a result, the economic
16:17
situation continues to deteriorate over
16:20
time, potentially heading toward a
16:22
collapse. He compared the situation to a
16:25
patient with latestage cancer.
Post a Comment