As China prepares for its annual legislative sessions, the methods used last year to prop up economic growth appear less reliable than before, prompting calls for a large-scale re-evaluation of policies and prospects.
As shipments of Chinese cars are stopped by US customs and EU officials continue their inquiry into electric vehicle subsidies, the likelihood of further import controls creeps closer to certainty, analysts said.
A short ban on ride-hailing services at one of China’s busiest airports has generated concerns that other ‘sweeping’ regulatory moves could be in the pipeline, throttling consumer confidence and blunting economic growth.
With geopolitics unlikely to thaw this year amid several periods of election campaigning, China has been encouraged to stick to a strategy of openness to withstand or mitigate the erosion of relations.