China | An insurance policy against MAGA

Why China may be saving its bazooka for Donald Trump

The Communist Party may be hoarding fiscal firepower to offset a possible trade war  

Xi jinping surrounded by a montage of unfinished highrises, two Chinese children, a woman holding a clothing sale sign, a woman pushing a shopping trolley and the People's Bank of China, against an abstract background of red and yellow blocks.
Illustration: Klawe Rzeczy/Getty Images
|HONG KONG

OF ALL THE people anxiously watching America’s presidential election, spare a thought for Chinese investors. Their economy is already contending with a property slump that began more than three years ago and persistent deflation that began over 18 months ago. Now they must contemplate a possible return of Donald Trump to the White House, bringing the threat of steep tariffs in his wake.

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This article appeared in the China section of the print edition under the headline “Why China may be saving its bazooka”

From the November 2nd 2024 edition

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