FX.co ★ China's economic growth continues to slow down; the Politburo is determined

After reviewing the first economic data for this year, China's politburo decided to strengthen macroeconomic policy to stabilize the economy this year, whatever that means. The expert believes that additional state support can be provided to the economy to accelerate growth.

China's economic growth continues to slow down; the Politburo is determined

On Friday, state broadcaster CCTV reported that members of the Communist Party's most important governing body at a meeting chaired by President Xi Jinping called for more active prevention of financial risks to maintain stability. The officials met to review a government performance report outlining China's key economic goals, which is due to be published when the annual meetings of lawmakers begin next week.

The 25-member politburo reiterated the need to prioritize economic stability this year, a key factor from officials' point of view ahead of the Communist Party congress, which is held twice a decade, during which Xi is expected to seek to remain leader.

At the same time, data on China's economic situation leaves much to be desired: growth remains weak due to the ongoing downturn in the real estate market, new outbreaks of the virus and disruptions due to public holidays.

Representatives of the politburo said that China will strive to achieve the annual goals and objectives of economic and social development this year, but did not go into details. Reforms to stimulate market entities and work to expand domestic demand will also be continued.

"We have come to the end of the first quarter. Top leaders may want to set the tone for the National People's Congress so that the issue of stabilizing economic growth becomes more prominent in the discussions of legislators," said Chen Xingdong, chief China economist at BNP Paribas SA.

The government traditionally reveals its economic growth goals for the year at a meeting of the National People's Congress. Major banks such as Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and Citigroup Inc. expect policymakers to set a growth target above 5%.

The leaders also called for strengthening the role of the party leadership in the financial sector after reviewing the results of disciplinary inspections of 25 financial regulators and institutions. They also promised to launch a campaign to combat the so-called "revolving door" policy, which is based on corrupt ties between officials and business.

Officials said China will continue to focus on technological innovation, high-quality growth, and coordinate measures to combat the pandemic and economic development. They confirmed that China will ensure that the economy operates within reasonable limits and maintain public order ahead of the Communist Party congress later this year.

Indeed, Asian markets can benefit from the military conflict between Ukraine and Russia, since fighting usually means more brisk imports of goods to meet the needs of armies, as well as raw materials for production. However, if large developers in China continue to suffer financial losses, and the coronavirus rages in the provinces, the results will be mixed.