BEIJING – September 19, 2025: China’s consumer recovery is showing signs of fatigue. Retail sales grew only 3.4% in August, the slowest pace since late 2024 and a downgrade from July’s 3.7% growthreuters.com. The cooling consumption figures – below market expectations – reflect households’ continued caution amid a wobbly job market and property slump. Urban unemployment ticked up…
A bank employee counts stacks of 100-yuan notes. China’s banking regulator is loosening lending constraints to make such capital more readily available for mergers and acquisitions, including deals by foreign investors. China’s National Financial Regulatory Administration (NFRA) released draft regulations in August 2025 that would significantly ease restrictions on merger and acquisition (M&A) loans. The proposed…
Introduction: Bridging the Gap in China’s New Economy China’s rapid growth has left notable white spaces across its economy – untapped needs in technology, energy, compliance, and regions that savvy foreign entrants can fill. Analysts estimate tens of billions of dollars in opportunitiesacross these underserved sectors in the near term, with trillions in long-run potential driven by China’s green…
BEIJING – September 19, 2025: A notable drop in foreign direct investment (FDI) into China this year is spurring Beijing to introduce new incentives and regulatory reforms to lure overseas capital. In the first half of 2025, inbound FDI fell by double digits – official data show FDI inflows of ¥358.2 billion (~$50 billion) from January to May, down 13.2% year-on-yearreuters.com. This slide comes…
Beijing – September 19, 2025: An aging wave is testing China’s healthcare capacity, revealing stark gaps in services and creating a massive market for eldercare. With over 22% of Chinese citizens now aged 60 or above – projected to surge to nearly 35% by 2050 – demand for medical and long-term care is outstripping supplychina-briefing.com. The strain is…
As China’s top megacities grapple with slowing growth, the country’s smaller cities and towns are fast becoming the new engines of consumer spending. In 2024, household consumption in many Tier-3 and Tier-4 cities grew by 3–5%, even as Tier-1 hubs like Beijing and Shanghai saw outright declines in retail activitybain.com. This reversal – lower-tier cities outperforming their…
Shanghai – September 19, 2025: China’s electric vehicle revolution is charging forward at breakneck speed – but infrastructure and regional adoption gaps threaten to stall momentum. Electric vehicles (EVs) comprised 37% of new car sales in 2023, up from just 6% three years priorautovista24.autovistagroup.com. Surging demand, fueled by aggressive automaker competition and government subsidies, has made China…
BEIJING – September 19, 2025: China is entering a new era of corporate compliance, marked by heightened scrutiny of data flows and a push for transparency in sustainability practices. In 2025, a series of regulatory developments have significantly tightened requirements for cross-border data transfers, personal information protection, and Environmental-Social-Governance (ESG) disclosures, forcing companies – domestic and foreign alike…
BEIJING – September 19, 2025: A notable drop in foreign direct investment (FDI) into China this year is spurring Beijing to introduce new incentives and regulatory reforms to lure overseas capital. In the first half of 2025, inbound FDI fell by double digits – official data show FDI inflows of ¥358.2 billion (~$50 billion) from January to May, down 13.2% year-on-yearreuters.com. This slide comes…
SHANGHAI – China’s Supreme People’s Court has issued a new judicial interpretation, effective September 1, 2025, that provides long-awaited clarity on the enforcement of post-employment non-compete clauses in labor disputeslittler.com. Under the new rules, non-compete agreements are only enforceable if the employee had actual access to the employer’s trade secrets or confidential informationlittler.com. This national interpretation (Judicial Interpretation…