Economy/Resources - 5. page

China Security Times (STCN) recently reported that, the Chinese National Bureau of Statistics and the China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing jointly released the China Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI). Data shows that in January, the Manufacturing PMI fell to 49.3 percent, below the 50 percent line in the contraction territory.

According to the Bureau of Statistics, the low number is due to some manufacturing sectors entering their traditional off-season, coupled with insufficient effective market demand.

Looking at the 13 sub-indices, compared with the previous month, the product inventory index, import index, purchase price index, and ex-factory price index increased, with the increase ranging from 0.3 to 3 percentage points; while the production index, new orders index, new export orders index, backlog orders index, purchasing volume index, raw material inventory index, employment index, supplier delivery time index, and production and operation activity expectation index all decreased, with the decrease ranging from 0.1 to 2.9 percentage points.

The survey shows that over 34 percent of manufacturing companies reported declining profits in January, highlighting the need to address the issue of corporate profits.

Source: STCN, January 31, 2026
https://www.stcn.com/article/detail/3623890.html

The Hurun Research Institute released its “2026 Hurun Best of the Best – China High-Net-Worth Individuals Quality of Life Report,” which surveyed 470 Chinese individuals with assets exceeding 10 million yuan (US$1.44 million), including 70 respondents with assets above 100 million yuan.

The report found that economic confidence among China’s wealthy has declined for the fourth consecutive year, with the confidence index dropping to 5.4—its lowest level since 2012. Only 26 percent of respondents said they were highly confident about the economy, while 59 percent described themselves as moderately confident. By comparison, confidence levels were higher during previous periods of economic stress, including the global financial crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic, and reached a peak of 7.2 in 2022.

Looking ahead, high-net-worth Chinese households expect to reduce annual discretionary consumer spending by an average of 242,000 yuan over the next year.

Source: Central News Agency (Taiwan), January 31, 2026
https://www.cna.com.tw/news/acn/202601310174.aspx

China’s Ministry of Finance released data on fiscal revenue and expenditure for 2025 on January 30. Nationwide general public budget revenue—fiscal revenue in the narrow sense—totaled 21.6 trillion yuan (US$3.95 trillion), marking a year-on-year decline of 1.7 percent. Tax revenue reached 17.64 trillion yuan, up slightly by 0.8 percent from a year earlier, while non-tax revenue fell 11.3 percent year on year to 3.97 trillion yuan.

On a monthly basis, fiscal revenue weakened significantly toward the end of the year. After remaining flat year on year in November, general public budget revenue plunged 25 percent in December.

Analysts said the sharp slowdown in fiscal revenue growth over recent months further reinforces the view that demand suffered a “cliff-like decline” in the second half of 2025.

Source: Lianhe Zaobao, February 2, 2026
https://www.zaobao.com.sg/finance/china/story20260202-8262100

Primary Taiwanese news agency Central News Agency (CNA) recently reported that China continues to face declining foreign investment. According to official data just released, the actual amount of foreign investment utilized in 2025 is RMB 747.69 billion (around US$107.61 billion), a decrease of 9.5 percent year-over-year, continuing the downward trend.

According to China’s Ministry of Commerce, in 2025, 70,392 new foreign-invested enterprises were established in China, an increase of 19.1 percent year-over-year. However, the actual use of foreign capital decrease 9.5 percent. In 2024, China’s actual use of foreign capital was RMB 826.25 billion yuan (around US$118.91 billion), which was already a decrease of 27.1% compared to the previous year.

By sector, the manufacturing sector actually utilized RMB 185.51 billion (around US$26.70 billion) in foreign investment, while the service sector utilized RMB 545.12 billion (around US$78.45 billion). High-tech industries actually utilized RMB 241.77 billion (around US$34.80 billion) in foreign investment.

In terms of growth by origin, actual investment in China from Switzerland, the United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom grew by 66.8 percent, 27.3 percent, and 15.9 percent, respectively.

Source: CNA, January 27, 2026
https://www.cna.com.tw/news/acn/202601270033.aspx

Recently, the People’s Bank of China and the State Administration of Foreign Exchange issued a notice expanding the integrated RMB and foreign-currency cash pooling scheme for multinational corporations from select pilot regions to nationwide implementation.

Previously, RMB and foreign-currency cash pools were regulated under separate systems, creating currency barriers and redundant accounts. Multinational companies often had to file complex applications and wait days—or even longer—to convert funds between RMB and foreign currencies.

Under the new policy, Chinese subsidiaries can independently manage cross-border funds within quotas approved by the People’s Bank of China, significantly easing domestic fund allocation constraints. This reform allows China operations to play a more active role in regional and cross-border treasury management, risk control, and strategic capital allocation, shifting them from a traditional “cost center” to an emerging decision-making hub.

Source: People’s Daily, January 29, 2026
https://world.people.com.cn/n1/2026/0129/c1002-40654876.html