More weakness in store for China in 2019
Dismal December trade readings suggest China's economy may have cooled faster than expected late in 2018
Beijing — China's exports unexpectedly fell the most in two years in December, while imports also contracted, pointing to further weakness in the world's second-largest economy in 2019 and deteriorating global demand. Adding to policy makers' worries, data on Monday also showed that China posted its biggest trade surplus with the US on record in 2018, which could prompt President Donald Trump to turn up the heat on Beijing in their bitter trade dispute. Softening demand in China is being felt around the world, with slowing sales of goods from iPhones to vehicles, prompting warnings from the likes of Apple, and Jaguar Land Rover, which last week announced sweeping job cuts. The dismal December trade readings suggest China's economy may have cooled faster than expected late in 2018, despite a slew of growth-boosting measures in recent months ranging from higher infrastructure spending to tax cuts. Some analysts had already speculated that Beijing may have to speed up and intensify its...
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