13 h. ago New iPhones spark lively debate among Chinese fans amid eSIM limits, AI delay

Apple’s newly released iPhone series, including the groundbreaking iPhone Air, dominated social media discussion in China on Wednesday, with consumers expressing concerns about eSIM adoption and delayed Apple Intelligence features. China Unicom, one of three state-owned carriers, is the only telecoms service provider able to provide eSIM service to iPhone Air users, although China Telecom and China Mobile, two other operators, said they would roll it out later. China’s conditional acceptance of...

Politics

14 h. ago Sharp China: Five Questions After the 9.3 Parade; A Flurry of US

Sharp China: Five Questions After the 9.3 Parade; A Flurry of US-China Updates; Sports Consumption and the NBA’s Return to China  Sinocism | Bill Bishop

Politics

21 h. ago China's consumer prices drop at fastest pace in 6 months, producer deflation eases

China's consumer prices drop at fastest pace in 6 months, producer deflation eases  Reuters

Politics

22 h. ago China's consumer prices fall more than expected in August as deflation woes persist

China's consumer prices fall more than expected in August as deflation woes persist  CNBC

Politics

22 h. ago Chinese consumer prices slip back into decline amid deflationary pressures

China’s consumer prices slipped back into decline in August, highlighting persistent deflationary pressures, while a narrower drop in factory-gate prices suggested Beijing’s “anti-involution” campaign may be starting to take hold. The national consumer price index (CPI), a key gauge of inflation, fell 0.4 per cent year on year last month, according to data released by the National Bureau of Statistics on Wednesday. The reading fell short of market expectations after a poll by financial provider...

Events

22 h. ago China Consumer Inflation Dips Below Zero Again as Demand Weakens

China Consumer Inflation Dips Below Zero Again as Demand Weakens  Bloomberg.com

Economics

37 h. ago Dior Fined By China’s Cybersecurity Authority For Sending Consumer Data Overseas

Dior Fined By China’s Cybersecurity Authority For Sending Consumer Data Overseas  WWD

Events

47 h. ago China’s new ‘durian express’ to bring prized fruit to northeast consumers faster

To get Southeast Asia’s coveted durians more quickly into the hands of Chinese consumers, a port operator in the relatively far-flung market of northeastern China is building a transit centre to handle seaborne imports of the pungent, spiky and often pricey fruit. Liaoning Port Group, part of which operates the major sea terminal in Dalian, kicked off construction of the Dalian Northeast Asia Fruit Transit Centre in late August, a group representative said this month. That project will...

Politics

64 h. ago India's Oil Demand To Beat China? Report Claims Growth to Outpace Beijing as Urbanisation Drives Consumption

India's Oil Demand To Beat China? Report Claims Growth to Outpace Beijing as Urbanisation Drives Consumption  Times Now

Politics

68 h. ago Chinese Export Growth Slows More Than Forecast as Demand Weakens

Chinese Export Growth Slows More Than Forecast as Demand Weakens  Bloomberg.com

Politics

5 d. ago Starbucks China valued at about US$5 billion by bidders, sources say

Most of the bidders seeking to buy a portion of Starbucks’ China operations have submitted offers valuing the business at as much as US$5 billion, said two people with knowledge of the discussions. That would make a potential deal one of the most valuable China unit divestments by a global consumer company in recent years. The offers, which have not been reported previously, would let Starbucks push ahead with the sale in a market where it faces sluggish growth and stiff competition from local...

Economics

1 week ago How Asian consumers are driving a revolution in healthier food choices

Asia’s rising middle classes are not just fuelling economic growth – they’re reshaping consumption itself. Nowhere is this transformation more visible than in the region’s embrace of healthier eating. From Hong Kong to Jakarta, a new generation of consumers is driving a quiet revolution in food choices. But is this a more lasting realignment of preferences or merely a pandemic-fuelled detour? Market research suggests consumer attention on health will grow. China’s healthcare-related consumer...

Politics

2 w. ago CR Land, Sunac post better interim results in signs of property recovery

China’s embattled property market is showing signs of a tentative recovery, as some developers posted stronger earnings and reduced losses, supported by government stimulus measures and recovering consumption. China Resources Land’s first-half net profit increased by 16.2 per cent from last year to 11.9 billion yuan (US$1.66 billion), according to the state-owned developer’s statement on Wednesday. Sales rose 20 per cent to 94.9 billion yuan. Sunac, one of China’s largest privately owned...

Politics

2 w. ago China Adviser Calls for Lifting Consumption Close to Half of GDP

China Adviser Calls for Lifting Consumption Close to Half of GDP  Bloomberg.com

Politics

2 w. ago At record high, China says July electricity use rivals Asean’s annual total

China’s electricity consumption surpassed the 1 trillion kilowatt-hour mark in July, energy authorities said, as scorching heatwaves pushed demand to levels equivalent to the annual usage of all Asean nations combined. Power usage in the country rose 8.6 per cent year on year to reach a historic high of 1.02 trillion kilowatt-hours (kWh), according to data released by China’s National Energy Administration on Thursday. The level was more than double that of a decade ago and comparable to the...

Politics

2 w. ago China's wary consumers saved tons of cash. Now, they're pouring it into stocks.

China's wary consumers saved tons of cash. Now, they're pouring it into stocks.  markets.businessinsider.com

Events

3 w. ago China’s Latest Data Sound Alarm for Xi on Consumer Fragility

China’s Latest Data Sound Alarm for Xi on Consumer Fragility  Bloomberg.com

Events

3 w. ago Beijing's Consumer Loan Push And Trade Truce Boost China ETFs

Beijing's Consumer Loan Push And Trade Truce Boost China ETFs  Benzinga

Politics

3 w. ago ‘Let the rich spend’: China told to ease property curbs to spur consumption

A high-level Chinese official has called for easing property and other market restrictions to boost spending among the wealthy, as Beijing steps up efforts to stimulate consumption amid deflationary pressures. “Let the rich spend. This is the most direct [approach],” said Yin Yanlin, who was deputy director at the Office of the Central Financial and Economic Affairs Commission, a party organ overseeing economic policy, from 2018 to 2023. Yin, now a senior economic adviser in the Chinese People’s...

Politics

3 w. ago As megacities slow, China’s smaller counties lead as new consumer hotspots

As widespread economic gloom in China’s megacities sees high-end restaurants close their doors one after another, Starbucks is accelerating its expansion into the country’s far-flung counties, where a growing number of residents are embracing a petit-bourgeois lifestyle. While county shopping centres might not stock Dyson vacuum cleaners and hairdryers, they have already become part of daily life in households in urban counties thanks to China’s ubiquitous e-commerce networks. Driving Teslas and...

Politics