China teetering on the edge of entering a recession

China is teetering on the edge of entering a recession this quarter for the first time since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and for just the second time in decades.

Tough restrictions to contain the spread of the virus have severely dampened the outlook and could have critical political implications.

Patrick Fok reports from Hong Kong.

[VL-inquisitor]

A lot of fear-mongering, but how realistic is the prediction of China entering a recession. Let’s look back in history for some clue.

No one would have thought that China survived the onslaught of covid-19 in 2020. Yet, it was the only major economy that achieved a positive GDP in 2020. Better still, China 2021 GDP surged to 8.1% and its export jumped 30% to USD3.3 trillion, both the highest in the past decade. The latter was in the wake of widespread negative reports of supply chain disruptions and tanking economic performance. China’s economic resilience in the past 2 years is a slap on the face of its doubters, despite the deluge of pessimistic reports on China.

If we fast-forward to the end of this year, will China doubters again be silenced. Let's check out when China’s official GDP and export figures are out then.