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China consumption

China consumption
The latest news, analysis and opinion on China consumption. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.
Labubu figures and stickers are seen at a Pop Mart shop in Beijing on June 12, 2025. Photo: AFP
Hong Kong stock market

Gen Z’s ‘emotional consumption’ fuels surge in consumer stocks like Pop Mart

Shares of Pop Mart, the Chinese toymaker that owns Labubu, have surged almost 600 per cent over the past year in Hong Kong.

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China’s Communist Party

China’s top baijiu maker faces sobering reality as austerity trims profits

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China’s film industry

China’s film distributors pledge more imports to diversify market

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China manufacturing

Baijiu blues and plum pickings: tastes of China’s Gen Z rewrite liquor industry

Young Chinese are driving a shift from the traditional white spirit to fruity, lower-alcohol beverages, in a sign of as evolving lifestyles.

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The Jiangji Distillery is a brewing base for Chinese liquor, located in Baisha town, Chongqing. Photo: Handout
Tourism

As China’s Dragon Boat Festival, Children’s Day coincide, family tourism booms

As Beijing looks to tourism to drive consumption, travel bookings spike as families celebrate long weekend.

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China economy

Mission: Impossible? China faces box office blues during Dragon Boat Festival

Film ticket sales estimated to decline compared to previous holiday – but analysts say long-term trends remain positive.

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US-China trade war

Hard to pivot: why China’s exporters struggle to sell at home despite trade war

They went the extra mile to win over Western markets – then Trump’s tariffs changed everything.

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Soton Daily Necessities, based in Zhejiang province, bet on the growing environmental awareness among Western consumers. Photo: Shutterstock
China economy

Opinion | Urban renewal is part of China’s long game to harden the economy

China’s preferred strategy is steady city development over debt-fuelled expansion and slow-burning stimulus over headline-making injections.

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China economy

China stops Labubu, Molly doll smugglers as prices soar, fights reported overseas

Driven by high-profile celebrities and social media, consumer demand for the toys has spiked – posing problems at some Chinese airports.

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China travel

China’s Xinjiang woos foreigners for 1 trillion yuan tourism haul amid sanctions

The region hopes a tourism boom will make its economy more resilient in the face of Western sanctions, analysts said.

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Tourists shop in the Grand International Bazaar in Urumqi, capital of the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region. The region in western China plans to open up to more foreign tourism to diversify its economy. Photo: Xinhua
China's economic recovery

China’s regulators must act quickly to stamp out price wars: People’s Daily

The party mouthpiece warns that excessive, cutthroat competition is harming the long-term development of industries like food delivery.

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A vicious price war has been raging in China’s food delivery sector in recent months, sparking concerns about excessive competition in the economy. Photo: AFP
China economy

China’s theme park capital in ‘stage of rapid growth’ as foreign capital invests

From Peppa Pig to Lego, Shanghai leads the way in attracting global amusement parks – a sector free from trade tensions, analysts say.

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Tourism

Have ticket, will travel? China’s concertgoers spur tourism spending spree

Eager fans are criss-crossing China to see their beloved stars – and spending while doing it, providing a much-needed consumption boost.

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China-EU relations

‘It’s crazy’: inside Europe’s growing obsession with Chinese blind-box toys

The craze is the latest sign that Chinese brands are becoming more skilled at winning over Western consumers.

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Shoppers look through the window of a Pop Mart store near the Louvre Museum in Paris. The Chinese toy giant has attracted a devoted fan base in Europe with its Labubu and Crybaby collectible dolls. Photo: Xinhua
US-China trade war

To survive the trade war, China aims to create a stronger domestic economy

Beijing has gained greater urgency in its push to rebalance the economy and make it less vulnerable to US tariffs, analysts say.

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China is focusing on driving through reforms to boost its domestic market amid the trade war. Photo: Shutterstock
IPO

Green Tea makes tepid Hong Kong debut as IPO frenzy takes a pause

Shares of the restaurant chain began trading at HK$7.19 per share, before plunging 7 per cent to an intraday low of HK$6.69.

Food and Drinks

Starbucks, Luckin get buzz from smaller-city coffee sales in China

‘There is still ample room for growth in lower-tier markets,’ analyst says.

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China economy

Opinion | For Chinese consumers, buying local has become a statement of national pride

What defines China is shifting, from what it makes to how it spends, as consumption becomes an emotional and cultural act.

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Pedestrians walk past a billboard advertising Huawei’s Pura X Classic Edition smartphone on March 22 in Chongqing, China. The company has positioned itself as a symbol of resilience and national technological independence, turning each product launch into a story of perseverance and ambition. Photo: Getty Images
US-China trade war

The duty-free island trying to lure Chinese shoppers amid the trade war

Hainan, a tropical island in southern China, has special customs policies allowing shops to maintain low prices even amid sky-high tariffs.

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China travel

What Labour Day tourism, spending say about China’s economic activity

The five-day holiday saw a sharp rise in tourism, and consumers took advantage of a trade-in programme, as China leans more heavily on its domestic market.

China economy

Opinion | China knows how to produce. The next test is whether it can consume

After a decade of boosting productivity, China’s Politburo has sent its clearest signal yet that it is focusing on consumption.

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People shop at the Miniso flagship store in Shanghai, China, on February 28. Photo: Reuters
Food and Drinks

China adds 12,000 coffee shops as mass appeal grows, Starbucks suffers

A presidential endorsement increases thirst for the drink while aggressive expansion and price competition make it more accessible.

Nowwa Coffee’s small outlets are often nested within convenience stores. Photo: Handout
Tourism

China’s Labour Day travel boom bodes well for spending, but box office fizzles

Visa-free entries and generous tax refunds for inbound travellers are helping to shore up tourism at a time when the economy needs a jolt.

US-China relations

Opinion | US tariffs a wake-up call for China to improve labour standards

If China’s export competitiveness remains reliant on lowering its labour standards, the US and others will continue their trade-restrictive policies.

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Tourism

China eases tax refund rules for foreign visitors in bid to attract more tourist cash

The new policy is part of wider efforts to boost spending inside the country as it seeks to counter the impact of the trade war with the US.

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The tax policy is the latest in a series of measures to boost foreign visitor numbers. Photo: Xinhua
China’s economic stimulus

Explainer | How China is expanding and accelerating its ‘special bonds’ programme

Beijing is issuing more ultra-long-term government bonds as it strives to shore up the Chinese economy amid an intensifying US trade war.

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China plans to issue special government bonds worth more than US$170 billion this year, as it seeks to shore up the economy amid an intensifying trade war with the United States. Photo: AFP
China GDP

Is Jiangsu province closing in on Guangdong’s economic crown?

Property sector woes have outsize impact on southern province that pioneered reform and opening up.

US-China trade war

After a whirlwind month, how will China’s Politburo counter Trump’s tariffs?

The meeting of the decision-making body, expected to be held at the end of April, will need to account for rapid escalation of trade conflict.

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