Q1 GDP; Gao Xiang on the GCI; "Xivilization"; Common Prosperity and the private economy; More Internet tip-offs wanted
Summary of the Essential Eight:
Q1 GDP growth - The official number is 4.5%, higher than the consensus of 3.8%. Retail sales were the biggest upside surprise, and while the data are decent there are some negative trends as well, especially when it comes to youth employment. The data are not good enough to say China is booming, also not bad enough to expect a shift in policymakers’ views of the need for more stimulus.
US-China - The long-discussed US limits on outbound investment to China may finally become public. I have heard different things about how tough they may be, best I can tell they are not as bad as some feared but not as loose as some in the affected industries lobbied for.
European Parliament debate on China - This debate is part of the process of building a more united China policy in the EU. The comments on Taiwan sound like a bit of a rebuttal to Macron’s last week. Meanwhile, Bloomberg reports that Macron has “tasked his foreign policy adviser Emmanuel Bonne to work wit…