Chinas Plans for Economic Renewal Face Severe Fiscal Constraints

A cargo ship sails into the port in Qingdao, Shandong Province, China, on Oct. 13, 2025. AFP via Getty ImagesCommentaryChina’s new five-year plan—the 15th of its kind—shows considerable ambition. With an ongoing property crisis, deflation at both consumer and producer levels, an unresponsive consumer sector, and questions about the ability to sustain export growth to the Global South, the country’s economy certainly needs help.