The turmoil in the Middle East has already put Beijing’s forecasts for 2026 in doubt, while the latest Five Year Plan offers no fresh thinking on the country’s top challenges.
No five-year plan will solve the paradox of China’s economy
Unsustainable exports and debt stimulus cannot cover up weak consumption and a property crisis for ever, but the reforms necessary are not on the agenda
China’s economic playbook needs a rewrite
Driven by its laser-focus on security, and its angst about relations with the United States and the West, the Chinese Communist Party is expected to double down on promoting industrial strength.
Chinese industrial policy, trade and the global order
First published: Council on Geostrategy, 21 October 2025
Industrial policy has a long and often contentious pedigree.
China’s industrial policy is destroying its economy
China’s industrial policy is the most important macro phenomenon shaping the China’s own and global economy nowadays and the source of worrying distortions
Is China’s mercantilism cracking up?
As the global economic order continues to fracture, President Xi Jinping is doubling down on China’s mercantilist model, deepening Beijing’s domestic problems while fuelling discontent among developing countries.