
China said 'hold my beer' and decided to dominate literally every industry at once
China’s manufacturing growth stalls amid weak domestic demand and global uncertainty
📰 Original title: China’s factory activity slows in May, raising questions over its economy
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China’s manufacturing sector showed signs of stagnation in May, according to official data, raising fresh concerns about the resilience of the country’s economic recovery. The purchasing managers’ index (PMI), a key measure of factory activity, slipped to 50 from 50.3 in April, indicating only marginal expansion. Sub-indices revealed weakening momentum, with new orders falling into contraction territory at 49.9, while production growth slowed slightly. Raw material inventories also declined, reflecting cautious business sentiment. Despite global turbulence triggered by the ongoing Iran war and rising oil prices, China has remained relatively insulated compared with other economies. Analysts attribute this resilience to the country’s substantial oil reserves and diversified energy sources, which have helped limit the impact of supply disruptions, including those linked to the Strait of Hormuz. Economists at HSBC noted that China’s energy security has cushioned it against the worst effects of the crisis affecting much of Asia. Exports continue to play a crucial role in sustaining economic activity. While shipments to the United States have generally declined over the past year, exports to Europe and Southeast Asia have remained strong. There is cautious optimism that trade relations with the US may improve following recent high-level talks between President Donald Trump and President Xi Jinping, including agreements to establish new trade and investment dialogue mechanisms. However, underlying weaknesses persist, particularly in domestic demand. A prolonged downturn in the property sector has dampened consumer confidence and investment, limiting broader economic momentum. Economists highlight that although advanced manufacturing sectors, such as automotive and technology exports, are supporting growth, internal demand remains subdued. China has set a modest economic growth target of between 4.5% and 5% for 2026, the lowest in decades. While major financial institutions expect this target to be met, future performance will depend heavily on global energy prices and improvements in domestic economic conditions.
China's fresh capital inflow rebound points to growing confidence in the economy and yuan. The uptick after a brief outflow highlights supportive market conditions. Watch for policy tweaks. Yatırım tavsiyesi değildir!
The Future Is American – China Does Not Have What We Have
“WALL STREET JOURNAL” – Red Scare By Matthew Hennessey
“You can’t steal your way to greatness. And you can’t bluff your way to hegemony.
Communism is a self-defeating ideology—impoverished, weak and ugly. So don’t worry too much about the future. It’s got America written all over it.”
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“President Trump’s visit to China has prompted Americans to reflect, as we periodically do, on the state of our superpower. Some say the future is Chinese. Don’t worry. It isn’t.
The U.S. is rich, powerful and attractive. We are perhaps the richest, most powerful and most attractive country that’s ever been. Had we been blessed with only one of those attributes, we’d still be a formidable player on the global stage. In the event, we’re 3-for-3. We are crushing it.
Run down the list. Almost all the world’s top companies are American. The reason is simple: Ours is an open economy governed by the rule of law. Anyone can start a company and grow it. You don’t need an uncle in the Politburo.
The U.S. has Nvidia. We have Apple, Microsoft, Google, Meta and Tesla. We have the big, healthy and transparent financial institutions. We have Walmart. Our ability to project both hard and soft power is unrivaled. We have the NBA. We have the Northrop B-2 Spirit. We have Sydney Sweeney.
When you look at it that way, it’s laughable to say we are in a competition for the future with China. What do they have? What have they done? TikTok. That’s pretty much it.
Name a Chinese movie star with global box-office appeal. Name a top Chinese athlete playing in an elite sports league. Name a Chinese musician who could pack stadiums around the world like Taylor Swift or Beyoncé. Name a Chinese writer or thinker whose ideas have infiltrated the intellectual discourse. Name a clothing brand or style originating in China that has conquered the world. Name a Chinese product that you can’t live without.
You got nothing. Be honest.
Now name a recent military engagement that the Chinese have fought and won. Their soldiers are untested. Their navy plays sharks and minnows with Filipino fishing boats. Their supply chains run on the principles of corruption and inefficiency that are the communist hallmark.
There is precedent for our fear of Chinese power. In the 1970s conventional wisdom held that the Soviet Union commanded a lethal modern military machine. They had the firepower and manpower to overwhelm us in a direct confrontation. Then Soviet tanks rolled into Afghanistan and the world saw how limp the threat was. The Russians hadn’t built a war machine. They’d centrally planned a paper tiger.
No one should want war between the U.S. and China. But if it comes to that, I know which side I’d rather be on. The team that took Fallujah—twice. The team that neutralized Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan. The team that snatched Maduro.
Americans have a reputation as yokels and navel-gazers. That’s not reality. We are actually quite cosmopolitan. We can be open-minded and self-critical. We read our own reviews—even the bad ones. We know what people think of us. Most of it is motivated by envy.
The reality is, the world is with us. If they could, they would be us. Nobody wants to be China.
No one in Albania or Botswana dreams of living in a low-income, censorship-and-surveillance state. They want to live in a modern, prosperous society with free and fair elections. People risk everything to come here, to build new and hopeful lives in the unsexy parts of our country—midsize cities, inner-ring suburbs, rundown areas.
Everywhere you go in the U.S. you find immigrants from around the world, raising families, building businesses, investing in their futures. That is a vote of confidence, a revealed preference. It doesn’t happen in China.
Tune out the partisan noise and the communist propaganda. China’s per-capita GDP is in the neighborhood of Mexico’s. Its economy is dominated by state-owned enterprises—phony businesses, in other words. They don’t engage in real competition in open markets. They don’t report real numbers. Everything is a mirage intended to give the illusion of strength.
You can’t steal your way to greatness. And you can’t bluff your way to hegemony.
Communism is a self-defeating ideology—impoverished, weak and ugly. So don’t worry too much about the future. It’s got America written all over it.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Matthew Hennessey is deputy editorial features editor at The Wall Street Journal and former managing editor of the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research.From 2007–2009 he was assistant editor of Carnegie Council’s Policy Innovations online magazine and the Council’s staff writer.
#ChinaEconomy #Communism #USVsChinaMichael Pettis highlights China’s growth challenges amid trade imbalance with the US ahead of Xi‑Trump summit. He pushes for balanced reforms beyond tariffs. #ChinaEconomy #TradeImbalance #GlobalTrade #CarnegieEndowment #Pettis
🚩 #ChinaEconomy #TradeImbalance #GlobalTrade #CarnegieEndowment #Pettis