For the last few years, the Chinese economy has come under close scrutiny, especially after the West initiated decoupling. The covid-19 pandemic, which had dodgy origins in Wuhan, China, drove a fresh wedge between China and the West. Its rapidly slowing economy has got commentators claiming that its economic end is near. Inevitably, the reality is a lot more nuanced. Indeed, the Chinese economy is facing serious risks, but it is nowhere near a “Lehman moment”. To understand the challenges faced by China we spoke to Shehzad Qazi, Managing Director, China Beige Book—which has the largest privately owned database on the Chinese economy.
