Why China Is Too Scared to Spend

 

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So far the government has avoided fanfare; it seems to want to avoid any big announcements and to build on the results if they turn out to be positive. That's good research practice, says Barber. "In health systems it's not one fix, so you look at your system and adjust; the key is to monitor what's happening," she says.

Yet this approach may not be politically decisive enough for these troubled times. "What China really needs is structural transformation," says Michael Shen Minggao, a former investment banker who is now chief economist with the highly regarded Caijing magazine. Without it, he argues, the Chinese economy may still manage to grow at 8 percent or more next year, but consumption won't budge. And that spells trouble long-term. Until Chinese start buying, their country's economic prospects over the next 30 years may fall far short of the world-beating growth they've enjoyed for the last 30.

© 2008

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Member Comments

  • Posted By: shielin @ 08/05/2009 10:09:06 AM

    Stupid american want we Chinese to spend.
    You don't know the reality of Chinese.
    We are worrying about future everyday.
    The only people that have the ability to spend are the goverment employees, the corrupt officials, which account for a little
    percentage of Chinese. And they are spending already. Their wives and children are in the US spending.
    Don't expect the 1.3 billion Chinese to spend. 800 Million of them are farmers who make 1000 dollors a year totally

  • Posted By: mannotw @ 12/18/2008 7:47:47 PM

    Everyone seems to be intent on figuring out how to stimulate the economy by looking at business dynamics, but ignoring people. If the people's need for and right to affordable health care is not met, the longterm prognosis cannot be good. This goes for China or any other country

  • Posted By: Alex Wu @ 12/18/2008 10:11:43 AM

    Build health-care system, It is a key point to stimulate chinese domestic demand. That is one of the most important reason why chinese people have a so high reserve rate. In current situation, people have to warry about their future, including health problem, children's education, mortagage of property. Chinese goverments, including center and local, are very rich now, however, ordinary people still lack abilities to bear any healthy or unemployed risks.

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