China’s Exports Are Booming. Why Is Demand at Home Weak? | Charlene Chu

China’s exports are growing strongly this year, but demand at home remains weak. Fixed-asset investment fell 7.2 percent in the first eight months of 2026, and retail sales rose just 0.4 percent in August. Why aren’t strong exports translating into stronger spending and investment?

This weakness is also reaching parts of the economy that usually cushion a slowdown. For businesses around the world that sell into China, that split matters as much as the export figures themselves.

Charlene Chu, senior analyst at Autonomous Research, has spent years tracking China’s economy and financial system. She examines what the export numbers leave out about conditions inside China.

Views expressed in this video are the opinions of the host and the guest and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.