Economy/Resources - 4. page

Russian media report growing complaints about door-lock malfunctions in Chinese-made vehicles, particularly during extreme cold. Drivers say the driver-side door can freeze shut, in some cases forcing them to attempt escape through a window—an option that becomes risky in freezing conditions and may damage window-lift mechanisms.

According to Russian outlet Lenta Dnya, the issue is commonly caused by condensation seeping into the electric door-lock actuator. When temperatures drop, the moisture freezes, causing the lock to seize and preventing the door from being opened even manually. Videos circulating online show drivers unable to unlock or open doors from either inside or outside the vehicle, even after lowering the window.

Automotive expert Vadim Kabanov told The Post that harsh Russian winters could turn some Chinese vehicles into “mobile coffins,” posing serious safety hazards. He added that Chinese cars generally perform worse in winter conditions than Korean, Japanese, and German models, and claimed that owners often need to replace key components every three years, with frequent issues including transmission failures.

Source: Epoch Times, January 13, 2026
https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/26/1/12/n14674773.htm

In late December 2025, a group of economists and data analysts specializing in China’s structural macroeconomic risks concluded—based on a cross-sector quantitative indicator framework—that 2026 may become a critical window in which seven major crises could erupt simultaneously.

The warning signs span seven key indicator clusters:

• Worsening pension contribution and payout gaps;
• Collapsing local government fiscal self-sufficiency alongside shrinking land-sale revenues and mounting hidden-debt pressure;
• Synchronized reversals in new-home sales, second-hand listings, and inventory digestion in major cities;
• Rising stress in small and mid-sized banks reflected in non-performing loans, interbank funding strain, and delayed wealth-management redemptions;
• Prolonged contraction in industrial profits, output growth, and employment indicators;
• Accelerating demographic decline marked by falling births, a shrinking working-age population, and slowing preschool enrollment; and
• A broad downturn in external demand signaled by weakening export orders, slowing shipments to major markets, reduced coastal electricity consumption, and declining container throughput.

Historically, these seven core indicator groups have rarely deteriorated together within a 12–18 month period. By the second half of 2025, however, most had already breached critical warning thresholds and were worsening in tandem—raising the risk of an unusually dangerous system-wide “resonance of disappointment” across China’s fiscal, financial, demographic, and economic foundations.

Source: 51 News, December 30, 2025
https://info.51.ca/articles/1500070?wyacs=info-article-list

China’s central bank announced that a new framework for the digital yuan (e-CNY) will take effect on January 1, 2026, marking a major transition from a digital cash model to a deposit-based digital currency. Chinese state-run media outlet Xinhua reported that the move represents a significant upgrade of the e-CNY from “version 1.0” to “version 2.0.” Key points from the Xinhua report are translated below.

Under the new system, digital yuan balances held in commercial bank wallets will be treated as account-based bank liabilities, similar to traditional deposits rather than cash. Banks will be required to pay interest on verified digital yuan wallet balances in accordance with deposit interest rate guidelines, manage these balances within their asset-liability frameworks, and provide deposit insurance protection equivalent to that of conventional bank deposits. Non-bank payment institutions participating in the system will be required to maintain 100 percent reserve backing for their digital yuan holdings.

The updated framework also brings digital yuan balances into China’s reserve requirement system, clarifying the rights and responsibilities of operating institutions and strengthening regulatory oversight.

As of the end of November 2025, the digital yuan had processed 3.48 billion transactions with a total value of 16.7 trillion yuan. A total of 230 million personal wallets and 18.84 million institutional wallets had been opened. In cross-border applications, the multilateral central bank digital currency bridge handled 4,047 transactions worth approximately 387.2 billion yuan, with the digital yuan accounting for more than 95 percent of total transaction value.

Source: Xinhua, December 29, 2025
https://www.xinhuanet.com/fortune/20251229/b4769a74c4874897935a9bbd7ee2359f/c.html

China’s foreign exchange reserves reached US$3.3579 trillion at the end of December 2025, an increase of US$11.5 billion, or 0.34 percent, from November, according to data released by the State Administration of Foreign Exchange. Over the same period, China’s gold reserves rose by 30,000 ounces to 74.15 million ounces, marking the central bank’s 14th consecutive month of gold purchases.

Analysts quoted by Chinese state-run media outlet People’s Daily wrote that “the current level of foreign exchange reserves remains adequately ample and is expected to stay broadly stable.”

The analysis noted that China’s gold holdings remain relatively low. As of the end of November 2025, gold accounted for about 9.5 percent of China’s official international reserves—mainly composed of foreign exchange and gold—well below the global average of around 15 percent. From the perspective of optimizing the reserve structure, continued increases in gold holdings are seen as necessary. Gold is also widely accepted worldwide as a final means of payment, and “further purchases by the central bank could help strengthen confidence in China’s sovereign currency and support the advancement of renminbi internationalization.”

Source: People’s Daily, January 8, 2026
http://finance.people.com.cn/n1/2026/0108/c1004-40641245.html

Primary Taiwanese news agency Central News Agency (CNA) recently reported that, China’s real estate market remains sluggish, with the downturn expected to continue in 2026. China’s Index Academy, an official real estate market research institution, predicted in its “China Real Estate Market Outlook for 2026 Report” that the sales of newly built commercial housing will decrease by 6.2 percent year-over-year in 2026.

The Report points out that, under the government policy guidance of controlling new construction and optimizing existing stock, the new construction work is expected to decrease by 8.6 percent and the nationwide total real estate investment will decrease by 11 percent year-over-year in 2026.

Looking back at the Chinese housing market in 2025, the Report shows that the cumulative price of secondhand homes in 100 cities fell by 8.36 percent last year. Also, according to the latest statistics from China’s National Bureau of Statistics, from January to November 2025, national real estate development investment decreased by 15.9 percent year-over-year, with residential investment decreasing by 15 percent year-over-year, and the sales of newly built commercial housing decreased by 7.8 percent year-over-year.

A sluggish Chinese real estate market is dragging down economic growth. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) stated last December that, while China’s economic growth is showing resilience, weak domestic demand and deflationary pressures are making imbalances significant. The key policy priority is to shift towards a consumption-driven economic growth model, reducing over-reliance on exports and government investment.

Source: CNA, January 2, 2026
https://www.cna.com.tw/news/acn/202601020079.aspx