Thinking About China
Opinion

China Gets a Little Good News on the Economy, but Not Enough to Alter the General Picture of Struggle

Recent less-depressing figures on the Chinese economy have elicited enthusiasm in some quarters. It is far from justified.
China Gets a Little Good News on the Economy, but Not Enough to Alter the General Picture of Struggle
A man rides a scooter past a screen showing figures of the gross domestic product (GDP) on a street in Shanghai , China, on Jan. 19, 2026. Jade Gao/AFP via Getty Images
Milton Ezrati
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Commentary
Several media outlets have declared that China’s economy has made a good start to 2026. For a prime example, see here. Such declarations are premature to say the least.
Milton Ezrati
Milton Ezrati
Author
Milton Ezrati is a contributing editor at The National Interest, an affiliate of the Center for the Study of Human Capital at the University at Buffalo (SUNY), and chief economist for Vested, a New York-based communications firm. Before joining Vested, he served as chief market strategist and economist for Lord, Abbett & Co. He also writes frequently for City Journal and blogs regularly for Forbes. His latest book is “Thirty Tomorrows: The Next Three Decades of Globalization, Demographics, and How We Will Live.”