China’s economy begins 2018 facing what its own leaders call three years of "critical battles". Those fights to tackle domestic debt, poverty and pollution pose a hat-trick of risks to the world’s second-largest economy even before higher interest rates and trade war threats from the US are taken into account. While the nation is starting from a position of strength, with full-year growth in 2017 poised for its first acceleration since 2010, the expansion is expected to slow in 2018. As a result, the government of Xi Jinping is signalling it is sanguine about more modest economic performance, if progress on the top risk — financial fragility — can be made. "Significant economic imbalances continue to create downside risk to the outlook for 2018," said Rajiv Biswas, chief Asia-Pacific economist at IHS Markit in Singapore. "Risks to the Chinese economy will remain among the key risks to the global growth outlook in 2018, with the Asia Pacific region particularly vulnerable to the shoc...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.