With Economy in Crisis, China Resorts to Coverup

With a crisis unraveling, Beijing is turning back to its old playbook: bury the unflattering data.

A paramilitary policeman stands guard at the entrance of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Beijing on July 26, 2023. Greg Baker/AFP via Getty Images

The world’s second-largest economy is in bleak shape.

China’s consumer sector fell into deflation in July for the first time in two years. Global demand for Chinese products has weakened, sending imports and exports tumbling. Millions of young people are jobless. The huge property sector, once a pillar in fueling China’s economic growth, is on the verge of a meltdown.