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China in distress: Protests, economic signals reveal pressure from U.S. tariffs
Just the News ^ | May 9, 2025 11:07pm | Steven Richards

Posted on 05/09/2025 9:06:39 PM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum

In the "socialist market economy" of China, some cracks are visible that show a country unprepared to stand up to Trump tariffs long-term. China has been increasingly opaque in markets and manufacturing information.

As Beijing and Washington meet this weekend in Switzerand for trade talks, the Chinese economy is in more significant distress than is widely reported. The country is facing heightened pressure from an ongoing property crisis, protests, and a general economic downturn, in part because of recent U.S. tariffs. 

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is holding meetings with senior Chinese Communist Party Politburo member, Vice Premier He Lifeng, China's top economic official, in the Swiss capital of Geneva this weekend. The two are likely to discuss the ongoing trade war that erupted after President Donald Trump imposed sweeping 145% tariffs on China after a tit-for-tat exchange last month. 

The Chinese Communist Party and its leader, Xi Jinping, have publicly expressed confidence in Beijing’s ability to weather the tariff storm and have urged the Chinese people to be unified in the face of the challenge to its economy.

Opacity in market information

However, in an era when Chinese economic data is being increasingly concealed by Xi’s regime, there are still significant publicly available warning signs that the Chinese model is under severe strain, the tariffs being only the latest amplifier. 

“Their economy is actually in distress,” Gordan Chang, a lawyer and China commentator who lived and worked in Shanghai and Hong Kong for decades, told the Just the News, No Noise TV show on Tuesday. “They reported 5.4% growth for the first quarter, but when we look at underlying indicators, it looks more like zero. And we know the direction, which is down,” he said. 

Though China has become increasingly secretive with its economic data, available price data...

(Excerpt) Read more at justthenews.com ...


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs
KEYWORDS: changisaliar; changisaquack; fake; propaganda

1 posted on 05/09/2025 9:06:39 PM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

Russia has been falling apart now China wow there’s a sucker born every minute they say but I’m not drinking this Kool Aid.


2 posted on 05/09/2025 9:08:04 PM PDT by Nextrush (FREEDOM IS EVERYBODY'S BUSINESS, REMEMBER REV; NIEMOLLER)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

Walmart is resupplying by department.

It’s really amazing to watch.


3 posted on 05/09/2025 9:09:49 PM PDT by Brian Griffin
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

China can wave off US business, which is about 23% of Chinese exports.

What China might not sneer off is being replaced by lower labor cost exporters.


4 posted on 05/09/2025 9:12:45 PM PDT by Brian Griffin
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To: Nextrush
Russia has been falling apart now China wow there’s a sucker born every minute they say but I’m not drinking this Kool Aid.

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/watch-china-hit-worker-protests-over-unpaid-wages-factory-shutdowns-amid-trump-tariffs

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/international-business/donald-trumps-tariffs-hit-where-it-hurts-unrest-mass-protests-erupt-in-chinas-factories/articleshow/120818381.cms

https://www.breitbart.com/asia/2025/04/30/hundreds-chinese-workers-protest-factories-shut-down-trump-tariffs/

5 posted on 05/09/2025 9:14:40 PM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum (Democrats are the Party of anger, hate and violence.)
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To: Brian Griffin
Walmart is resupplying by department.

What do you mean by that?

6 posted on 05/09/2025 9:16:46 PM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum (Democrats are the Party of anger, hate and violence.)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

I have noticed in the past that most Chinese are what might be called “Prosperity Patriots”. They will support the government only so long as the good times last.

That said, I’m not holding my breath for the government to fall. But I can hope


7 posted on 05/09/2025 9:57:29 PM PDT by Fai Mao ( All Democrats are pedophiles )
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To: Brian Griffin

China is in big trouble and they cannot just wave off US exports. Their real estate market has crumbled and the unemployment rate is sky rocketing as factories are closing because they have fewer orders for US exports.

There are already workers protesting in the streets because they are not getting paid.

Xi is in big trouble- the amount of purges in the military are a prelude to the fact he is becoming less popular with his loyalists.


8 posted on 05/10/2025 4:47:18 AM PDT by God luvs America
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To: E. Pluribus Unum
Among the changes announced by China’s central bank, the People's Bank of China, is a reduction in the reserve requirement ratio—the minimum amount a commercial bank must hold in reserve—by 50 points, which frees up an estimated 1 trillion yuan in liquidity.

In terms of monetary policy, manipulating the reserve requirement is the equivalent of the Nuclear Option in modern warfare. Few monetary tools have the ability to change the money supply faster than the reserve requirement ratio and, while a 50 point swing sounds small, it is huge!

9 posted on 05/10/2025 6:06:04 AM PDT by econjack
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

Walmart is resupplying by department.

“What do you mean by that?”

You can see the effects of efforts Walmart is using to decrease reliance on China by visiting Walmart. And so can Chinese spies and diplomatic personnel.


10 posted on 05/10/2025 7:56:16 AM PDT by Brian Griffin
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To: God luvs America

Trump should do unto China that which Reagan/Bush41 did unto the Soviet Union.

Destroy the CCP without firing a shot.

Very Sun Tzu.


11 posted on 05/10/2025 12:06:39 PM PDT by Jacquerie (ArticleVBlog.com)
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