Faced with economic disruption, Beijing is presenting itself as too powerful to succumb to U.S. pressure and casting itself as a responsible champion of fair trade.

Once one of the country’s biggest growth drivers, China’s property market has been in a downward spiral for five years with no signs of abating. Real estate values continue to plummet, households in financial distress are being forced to sell properties,

The problems could cost the equivalent of US$57 billion, around 22 per cent of the total national health budget China, plagued with famine six or seven decades ago, is facing an obesity crisis, prompting warnings that more than 65 per cent of adults could be overweight or obese by 2030.

China held its biggest annual political event, the National People's Congress. But looming behind the tightly choreographed legislative session was a growing sense of crisis. Chinese Premier Li Qiang announced a target of around 5 percent GDP growth this year.

China’s top diplomat called on the US to remove tariffs it imposed on Chinese goods for Beijing’s alleged role in America’s fentanyl crisis before holding any talks on the matter, deepening a stalemate weighing on trade ties between the world’s two largest economies.

Wall Street’s worst crisis since COVID slammed into a higher gear, with not even better-than- expected jobs report enough to stop worries of recession.