Uploaded July 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
China is famous for making products the world wants to buy, but inside the country, consumers are spending far less than the government would like.
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A property slump, high youth unemployment and weak confidence have left many households choosing to save instead of spend, making it harder for China to shift its economy away from relying on exports.
The Chinese government has introduced a range of measures to encourage spending, from consumer subsidies to a new five-year consumption plan.
But why haven't these policies delivered the results Beijing hoped for? And is China's low consumer spending simply a temporary problem, or a sign of deeper structural issues?
In this episode, host Mariko Oi speaks to Bloomberg Opinion columnist Juliana Liu and Asia Pacific economist Max Zenglein from The Conference Board about why Chinese households save so much, whether Beijing's latest policies can work and why China's spending habits matter not only for its own economy but also for the rest of the world.
00:00 Introduction
01:39 China’s economic challenges today
02:51 How weak is consumer spending in China?
04:11 Why China needs consumption, not just trade
05:14 How China compares with other major economies
06:41 Which Chinese products are still winning overseas buyers?
07:35 Beijing’s economic priorities right now
09:10 What the new Five-Year Plan signals
10:08 The policies designed to boost consumer spending
11:21 Will consumption become China’s top economic priority?
12:28 Why the world should care about Chinese consumers
13:50 The challenges China will face as it pushes consumption
This episode was recorded on 27 July.
Watch more episodes of Asia Specific here 👉🏽 youtube.com/playlist?list=PLz_B0PFGIn4c3njIxB0KHuO8SS2mBMtUc
Instagram: @bbcworldservice
Email: asiaspecific@bbc.co.uk
Presenter: Mariko Oi
Producers: Derek Cai, Rachel Lee, Cordelia Lee
Camera: Muhammad Firdaus Bin Mohd Ansary, Rosalehin Bin Rosli
Editor: Bill Birtles
----------------
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China is famous for making products the world wants to buy, but inside the country, consumers are spending far less than the government would like.
Click here to subscribe to our channel 👉🏽 bbc.in/3VyyriM
A property slump, high youth unemployment and weak confidence have left many households choosing to save instead of spend, making it harder for China to shift its economy away from relying on exports.
The Chinese government has introduced a range of measures to encourage spending, from consumer subsidies to a new five-year consumption plan.
But why haven't these policies delivered the results Beijing hoped for? And is China's low consumer spending simply a temporary problem, or a sign of deeper structural issues?
In this episode, host Mariko Oi speaks to Bloomberg Opinion columnist Juliana Liu and Asia Pacific economist Max Zenglein from The Conference Board about why Chinese households save so much, whether Beijing's latest policies can work and why China's spending habits matter not only for its own economy but also for the rest of the world.
00:00 Introduction
01:39 China’s economic challenges today
02:51 How weak is consumer spending in China?
04:11 Why China needs consumption, not just trade
05:14 How China compares with other major economies
06:41 Which Chinese products are still winning overseas buyers?
07:35 Beijing’s economic priorities right now
09:10 What the new Five-Year Plan signals
10:08 The policies designed to boost consumer spending
11:21 Will consumption become China’s top economic priority?
12:28 Why the world should care about Chinese consumers
13:50 The challenges China will face as it pushes consumption
This episode was recorded on 27 July.
Watch more episodes of Asia Specific here 👉🏽 youtube.com/playlist?list=PLz_B0PFGIn4c3njIxB0KHuO8SS2mBMtUc
Instagram: @bbcworldservice
Email: asiaspecific@bbc.co.uk
Presenter: Mariko Oi
Producers: Derek Cai, Rachel Lee, Cordelia Lee
Camera: Muhammad Firdaus Bin Mohd Ansary, Rosalehin Bin Rosli
Editor: Bill Birtles
----------------
This is the official BBC World Service YouTube channel.
If you like what we do, you can also find us here:
Instagram 👉🏽 instagram.com/bbcworldservice
Twitter 👉🏽 twitter.com/bbcworldservice
Facebook 👉🏽 facebook.com/bbcworldservice
BBC World Service website 👉🏽 bbc.co.uk/worldserviceradio
Thanks for watching and subscribing!
#BBCWorldService #WorldService #china #chinaeconomy #asia
