China’s strained economy casts shadow over 2024

In 2023, the Chinese economy showed signs of faltering as various issues came home to roost.

This all flew in the face of what was meant to be an upbeat post-pandemic period for the world’s No. 2 economy.

There was an expectation that China, which implemented some of the harshest pandemic controls in the world, would swing into growth mode, but instead its economy has been roiled by a spiraling real estate crisis, falling consumer confidence, deflation, soaring youth unemployment and the disappearance of foreign investment.