2023: The World This Year

Photo Source: Global Times
   NIAS Course on Global Politics
National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS)
Indian Institute of Science Campus, Bangalore
For any further information or to subscribe to GP alerts send an email to subachandran@nias.res.in

CWA # 905, 29 January 2023
2023: The World This Year
China: A complicated economic recovery

  Avishka Ashok

TWTW#200, 29 January 2023, Vol 5, No 4

China: A complicated economic recovery
Contrary to the CPC’s expectations, there are serious challenges to reviving the economy

What happened in 2022?
In 2022, China’s economy recorded its the slowest growth rate since the mid-1970s. The economy grew three per cent, far below the Communist Party of China’s expectations which predicted a 5.5 per cent economic growth. The CPC predicted the difficulties for the economy in the previous year and therefore, reduced the growth target by 2.6 per cent, compared to the economic growth from 2020. Frequent COVID-19 lockdowns, vulnerable property sector and the climate anomalies have been cited as factors for the slowdown. 

Morgan Stanley predicted that China’s economy would recover and record a modest growth of five per cent in 2023. The World Bank also predicted a growth of 4.3 per cent in 2023 and five per cent in 2024. In the past three years, the pandemic has disrupted the supply chain lines and caused a global economic slowdown. Despite the disruptions, the major driver for China’s international economic growth has been the Belt and Road Initiative. 

Forecasts for 2023
The economy will improve in 2023. China’s multilateral groupings and alliances such as ASEAN, BRICS, RCEP, and enhanced relations with countries in Africa and Russia is further expected to provide positive output for China. China’s trade with Latin America has been picking up gradually and is expected to reach new heights in 2023. The trade accounted for USD 12 billion in 2000 and recorded a trade volume worth USD 445 billion in 2021. The Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with 20 countries in the continent has played an instrumental role in achieving the same. There is an expected recovery of domestic demand after the CPC scrapped off the Zero-COVID policy in December 2022. China is alsoexpected to open up, not just internally but also internationally. Hong Kong has already accepted more than 10,000 work visas in less than a month. Chinese manufacturing and production units within China will be expected to return to above-average productivity levels.

The rare earths sector will work in China’s favour. Despite differences, the West will be forced to work with China because of their dependency on rare earths used in industrial processes, glass manufacturing, automotive emission control, energy storage, batteries, and more. China has the lead in reserves of rare earths with 44 million metric tons. It produces 85 per cent of rare earth oxides and approximately 90 per cent of rare earth metals, alloys and permanent magnets. The government has further finalised a deal with the Taliban in January 2023, agreeing to invest and harvest the rare earths in Afghanistan for the coming three years.  
The semiconductor industry is expected to face blows as Japan and the Netherlands join the US in restricting the export of semiconductor technology to China. Even though the US has the biggest group of Integrated Device Manufacturers for Semiconductors, Japan and the Netherlands play a crucial role in providing the hardware and the software for the industry. Technology has become essential towards all electrical equipment sectors, raising China’s interest in producing the same and reducing dependency on external supply chains. 

The COVID-19 recovery will continue to be an issue. After lifting the zero-COVID restrictions in December 2022, China recorded over 60,000 deaths caused by the coronavirus in one month. More than 80 per cent of the deaths were recorded amongst an age-group of over 80-year-olds. The senior citizens in the country have been the worst hit age group due to the pandemic. The government will therefore have to spend extensively on the healthcare sector and extensively increase the rate of vaccinations amongst the 60-plus population in the country. 

The property sector will remain weak in 2023. The CPC predicts the same, but expects a gradual recovery. The market for new properties is expected to drop in the first half of 2023. Despite the CPC’s predictions for the property sector, the industy is expected to grow by a meagre one per cent. 

It is also important to note that China’s economy is closely connected to the world economy. The impact of the 2020 COVID-19 lockdown was extremely apparent, in not just neighbouring countries, but also across the globe. Therefore, an economic slowdown in China is bound to have an impact on the global economy. 

Print Bookmark

PREVIOUS COMMENTS

NIAS Global Politics Database
March 2024 | CWA # 1251

NIAS Africa Team

Africa This Week
NIAS Global Politics Database
February 2024 | CWA # 1226

NIAS Africa Team

Africa This Week
The World This Year
December 2023 | CWA # 1189

Hoimi Mukherjee | Hoimi Mukherjee is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Political Science in Bankura Zilla Saradamani Mahila Mahavidyapith.

Chile in 2023: Crises of Constitutionality
The World This Year
December 2023 | CWA # 1187

Aprajita Kashyap | Aprajita Kashyap is a faculty of Latin American Studies, School of International Studies at the Jawaharlal Nehru University New Delhi.

Haiti in 2023: The Humanitarian Crisis
The World This Year
December 2023 | CWA # 1185

Binod Khanal | Binod Khanal is a Doctoral candidate at the Centre for European Studies, School of International Studies, JNU, New Delhi.

The Baltic: Energy, Russia, NATO and China
The World This Year
December 2023 | CWA # 1183

Padmashree Anandhan | Padmashree Anandhan is a Research Associate at the School of Conflict and Security Studies, National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bangaluru.

Germany in 2023: Defence, Economy and Energy Triangle
The World This Year
December 2023 | CWA # 1178

​​​​​​​Ashok Alex Luke | Ashok Alex Luke is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Political Science at CMS College, Kottayam.

China and South Asia in 2023: Advantage Beijing?
The World This Year
December 2023 | CWA # 1177

Annem Naga Bindhu Madhuri | Annem Naga Bindhu Madhuri is a postgraduate student at the Department of Defence and Strategic Studies at the University of Madras, Chennai.

China and East Asia
The War in Ukraine
October 2023 | CWA # 1091

Annem Naga Bindhu Madhuri

Issues for Europe
IPRI Quarterly Forecasts I Triggers, Trends, and Trajectories
July 2023 | CWA # 1012

Bibhu Prasad Routray

Myanmar continues to burn
2022: The World This Year
December 2022 | CWA # 879

Padmashree Anandhan

The Ukraine War
Europe: Heatwaves, Wildfires, Droughts, and Ice Melt in Alps
November 2022 | CWA # 838

Rishma Banerjee

Tracing Europe's droughts
NIAS Africa Weekly
March 2022 | CWA # 705

NIAS Africa Team

In Focus: Libya
The World This Week: 150th Issue
December 2021 | CWA # 630

GP Team

Europe in 2021
Pakistan Reader
October 2021 | CWA # 588

Abigail Miriam Fernandez

TLP is back again
NIAS Fortnightly on Science, Technology & International Relations
August 2021 | CWA # 528

STIR Team

Space Tourism
Science, Technology and International Relations
September 2019 | CWA # 162

Lakshman Chakravarthy N

5G: A Primer
South Asia Monthly Brief (Nov 2018)
December 2018 | CWA # 71

Mahesh Bhatta | Centre for South Asian Studies, Kathmandu

Nepal
South Asia Monthly Brief (Nov 2018)
December 2018 | CWA # 70

Nasima Khatoon | Research Associate, ISSSP, NIAS

The Maldives
South Asia Monthly Brief (Nov 2018)
December 2018 | CWA # 69

Harini Madhusudan | Research Associate, ISSSP, NIAS

India
South Asia Monthly Brief (Nov 2018)
December 2018 | CWA # 68

Sourina Bej | Research Associate, ISSSP, NIAS

Bangladesh
South Asia Monthly Brief (Nov 2018)
December 2018 | CWA # 67

Seetha Lakshmi Dinesh Iyer | Research Associate, ISSSP, NIAS

Afghanistan