Beijing hit its GDP growth target of 5 percent in 2024, according to its statistics bureau—but deflationary pressures remain.

Analysts say they see signs of malaise in China’s domestic economy, but those problems were offset mainly by robust exports and a $1 trillion trade surplus.

China's economy grew 5% last year, matching the government's target, but in a lopsided fashion, with many people complaining of worsening living standards as Beijing struggles to transfer its industrial and export gains to consumers.

Premier Li Qiang calls for all-round jobs support as commerce ministry vows to further open up telecoms, medical care and education sectors.

Gao’s sin? Saying that China may have grown just 2% over the last two or three years, less than half the rate Xi’s government claims. The reason Gao is allegedly being silenced is for shining a brighter-than-usual spotlight on one of the biggest perception problems facing Xi’s Communist Party: that China routinely cooks the GDP books.

China’s population has fallen for the third straight year, pointing to further demographic challenges for the world’s second most populous nation that is now facing both an aging population and an emerging shortage of working age people able to support their elders.

China's economic growth likely fell fractionally short of the government's five percent target last year, according to an AFP survey, as leaders head into 2025 steeling for the second presidency of Donald Trump amid fears of another painful trade standoff.

A top Civil Affairs Ministry official stressed new reforms must be rolled out over the next decade to be effective.

The LBMA Gold Price AM in USD fell in December while the Shanghai Gold Benchmark Price PM in RMB rose, supported by a weakening local currency. Read more here.

China’s economy grew more than expected in the last three months of 2024, official data showed on Friday, as it awaits the likely imposition of fresh tariffs by US President-elect Donald Trump, who takes office next week.

"It is largely a mixed bag of economic data today to end 2024, with some data discrepancy and clearly carrying lacklustre momentum into 2025. In particular, the full-year pace of retail sales and investment growth, at 3.5% and 3.2%, respectively, remained significantly below the overall headline GDP growth of 5%."