Official: Foundation of China's Economic Recovery not Solid Enough

People walk on a street as the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak continues in Beijing, China, January 13, 2022. REUTERS/Thomas Peter
People walk on a street as the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak continues in Beijing, China, January 13, 2022. REUTERS/Thomas Peter
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Official: Foundation of China's Economic Recovery not Solid Enough

People walk on a street as the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak continues in Beijing, China, January 13, 2022. REUTERS/Thomas Peter
People walk on a street as the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak continues in Beijing, China, January 13, 2022. REUTERS/Thomas Peter

The foundation of China's economic recovery is not solid enough, a senior Communist Party official said on Saturday, warning of possible spillover effects from global economic problems.

Some countries have to play a balancing act as they try to stabilize their economies, prices and financial markets, said Han Wenxiu, deputy head of the party's office for financial and economic affairs, adding that the global economy was at risk of stagflation.

Such risks come as many developed countries aggressively tighten their monetary policy causing problems for banks as well as bringing foreign debt woes and financial market turmoil, he said at a government-organized China Development Forum, without naming any specific countries.

As a result, global supply chains face restructuring, Reuters quoted him as saying.

"The foundation of China's economic recovery is not yet solid enough," Han said.

Recent economic data has shown that China's economy picked up from COVID-19 slumps after the government abandoned its zero-COVID strategy late last year.

China is confident of reaching its annual economic growth target of around 5%, Han said.

He said the growth target had taken into account the need to expand employment and improve people's livelihoods, as well as the potential growth capacity and various difficulties.

China has no apparent inflation or deflation at the moment, and it has a relatively large amount of room to maneuver on monetary policy, he said.

Han also said China would continue to expand market access and welcome foreign investment into the world's second largest economy.

"China welcomes companies from all countries to come and invest and expects foreign firms to hold a long-term view and develop extensively in the market," Han said.



GASTAT: Inflation Rate in Saudi Arabia Reached 1.9% in December

The Saudi capital Riyadh. Reuters
The Saudi capital Riyadh. Reuters
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GASTAT: Inflation Rate in Saudi Arabia Reached 1.9% in December

The Saudi capital Riyadh. Reuters
The Saudi capital Riyadh. Reuters

The annual inflation rate in Saudi Arabia reached 1.9% in December 2024, according to the General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT).

The Kingdom has the lowest inflation rates among the G20 countries.

The Consumer Price Index (CPI) reflects changes in prices paid by consumers for a fixed basket of goods and services consisting of 490 items. This basket was selected based on the results of the household expenditure and income survey conducted in 2018. Prices are collected through on-site visits to sales points.

CPI statistics are published monthly.