Thinking About China
Opinion

China’s Catering Industry Woes Indicate Low Consumer Confidence in Economy

China’s Catering Industry Woes Indicate Low Consumer Confidence in Economy
Two people are sitting in a nearly empty restaurant in the food court of a usually busy shopping mall in Beijing on Feb. 22, 2020. Kevin Frayer/Getty Images
Wang He
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Commentary

The Chinese saying, “Food is the first necessity of the people,” is similar to the idiom, “Bread is the staff of life.” The catering industry is one of the most resilient in the world, yet also the most sensitive to economic trends. Generally, catering reacts to economic shifts first, followed by overall retail, and GDP last—though all should trend in the same direction.

Wang He
Wang He
Author
Wang He has master’s degrees in law and history, and has studied the international communist movement. He was a university lecturer and an executive of a large private firm in China. Wang now lives in North America and has published commentaries on China’s current affairs and politics since 2017.