What it is
A very large manufacturing and exporting economy in which the state has a leading part. It is a major buyer of raw materials, which is why its data are read for the Australian and New Zealand dollars and for metals as well as for itself.
What the economy is known for
- Manufacturing for export, across almost every kind of goods
- Large state-owned companies and banks beside a large private sector
- Growth that has leaned heavily on investment in property and infrastructure, with a stated aim of moving towards household spending
- A major importer of iron ore, copper, oil and farm produce
A description of structure, in words. No size, share or ranking is given: those are figures, and they are read at the statistical offices named below.
Its central bank and mandate
The People’s Bank of China’s stated aim is to keep the value of the currency stable and so support economic growth. It works under the direction of the State Council and is not independent of the government. It steers the exchange rate as well as interest rates.
People’s Bank of China on Central Bank Watch
The policy rate, the last decision and the next meeting are not shown on this site: they are read at the bank’s own publication.
The releases that matter, and who publishes them
- Gross Domestic ProductPublished by National Bureau of Statistics of ChinaExplainer: GDP
- Industrial production, retail sales and fixed-asset investmentPublished by National Bureau of Statistics of China
- Official purchasing managers’ indicesPublished by National Bureau of Statistics of ChinaExplainer: PMI
- Consumer and producer pricesPublished by National Bureau of Statistics of ChinaExplainer: CPI
- Trade balancePublished by General Administration of Customs
- Loan Prime Rate announcementsPublished by People’s Bank of ChinaExplainer: Rates
No dates or figures are shown here: each publisher’s own calendar is the authority. The explainers are in Economic Events; a release without a link has no explainer on this site yet.
Its main stock index
Shanghai Composite and CSI 300. The best-known indices of shares listed on the mainland. Neither is a GIO4X instrument.
GIO4X lists no instrument on a stock index of China. The index is named for orientation only. The indices GIO4X does list are on the Indices page.
Its currency
The currency of China is the Chinese yuan (renminbi) (CNY), issued by the People’s Bank of China. It is not in any GIO4X instrument: this page and the currency’s profile are general education.
Words worth knowing
A reference page. Educational information, not investment advice or a recommendation to trade. It gives no figure, no ranking and no forecast.