The National Bureau of Statistics in Beijing has just published the figures for the 2nd quarter of 2026 of the Chinese economy. Year-on-year growth was 4.3% after 5% in the 1st quarter, i.e., over the 1st half of the year, a pace of 4.7% in the range between 4.5 and 5% which is the authorities' target for 2026. The only figure that caught the attention of commentators was 4.3%, pointing out that it is one of the lowest levels in recent decades. It was interpreted as a sign of the difficulties that the country would ...