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China

Everything Palanor holds about China, in one place: 340 public signals, what its economy runs on, how often America’s largest companies name it, the news that names it, and Country Posture. Every figure is computed from stored readings and carries its source and date.

AsiaAsia-PacificG20BRICS

The latest read

Country Posture

What China’s economy is doing

Momentum

2025

Inputs only. Did not pass the pre-registered back-test: 1996–2009: AUC 0.590 below 0.60; AUC 0.590 below the single-input baseline (0.624); 2010–2022: AUC 0.595 below 0.60; AUC 0.595 below the single-input baseline (0.641).

Inputs
Real GDP growth5.0
Growth against its three-year average0.5
Change in unemployment0.0
Change in the employment rate-0.4
Export volume growth—
OECD leading indicator0.7

Resilience

2022

57Moderate buffers

0 = thin buffers · 100 = deep buffers

Moved most by current account (up) and governance (wgi mean) (down) since the year before.

Inputs
Interest as a share of revenue (2021)3.446
Budget balance——
Reserves, months of imports11.055
Current account2.264
Governance (WGI mean)-0.3658
External debt13.966

Pressure

2025

Inputs only. Did not pass the pre-registered back-test: 1996–2009: AUC 0.657 below the single-input baseline (0.672).

Inputs
Inflation0.1
Change in inflation-0.2
Currency move against the dollar-0.1%
Conflict deaths per million0.0
Political stability0.02
Private credit, three-year change (2024)20.8
Bond spread over U.S. Treasuries—

Posture describes what an economy is doing; it is not a rating and never ranks countries. Each input is read against the country’s own history and against every other economy that year. An axis shows a score only after passing a back-test fixed before any result was computed. Method and back-test.

Country Schemas

Where China is in its cycles

Where China sits in eight long cycles, each read from published statistics against a method fixed before any reading was computed. A stage describes; it is not a rating, and no stage is better or worse than another.

  • Development stage

    Drive to maturity99% · 2025

    Pre-take-offTake-offDrive to maturityHigh mass consumption

    20002025

  • Demographic stage

    Declining94% · 2025

    High stationaryEarly expandingLate expandingLow stationaryDeclining

    20002025

  • Debt cycle stage

    Leveraging60% · 2025

    Early cycleLeveragingLate cycleDeleveraging

    20002025

  • External balance stage

    Immature creditor82% · 2025

    Immature debtorMature debtorDebt repayerImmature creditorMature creditorCredit disinvestor

    20002025

  • Export structure stage

    Complex exporter94% · 2025

    Commodity-reliantDiversifyingManufacturing exporterComplex exporter

    20002025

  • Structural pressure

    Building80% · 2025

    LowBuildingHighAcute

    20002025

  • Middle-class stage

    Middle-class majority99% · 2025

    Pre-middle-classEmerging middle classMiddle-class majorityAffluent

    20002025

  • Electoral cycle

    No reading.

    Post-electionMid-termPre-election

    No direct popular national election chooses the legislature or head of the executive; National People's Congress deputies are indirectly elected by provincial-level people's congresses and the armed forces.

All Country Schemas · How they work

Passport reach

Where a China passport opens doors

The share of world GDP, outside China itself, in the economies whose published rules let a holder of this passport in, as of October 2026. Palanor records the rules of destinations holding 88% of world GDP, from each government’s own list, and weights them by World Bank GDP for 2025. Rank is among 199 passports.

Visit

8.1%

rank 118 of 199 · +4.2 pts in a year

short stays without a visa arranged in advance; 6 destinations in full.

Work

1.0%

rank 108 of 199

the right to work (free movement in full; treaty and working-holiday routes at half); 0 destinations in full, 2 at half.

Live

0.0%

rank 51 of 199

a right to reside by nationality; 0 destinations in full.

Recorded changes

  • 2026-10-07Brazil · visit: Visa required → Visa-free source
  • 2026-01-02Türkiye · visit: E-visa before travel → Visa-free source
  • 2025-12-01Russia · visit: E-visa before travel → Visa-free source

Reach is shown here and not weighted into Country Strength: it rewards membership of a free-movement area or a treaty more than the strength of an economy. Entry is always at the border officer’s discretion, and conditions (length of stay, fees, age limits) vary. Method, sources and the full ranking: Passports and citizenship.

What a China passport opensShare of world GDP outside the holder's own country in the recorded destinations open to the passport: to visit, to work, to live. Monthly, rules in force on the first of the monthVisit: 8.1% in Oct 2026 · Oct 2026
Source: Palanor calculation from destination governments’ published visa and residence rules; GDP weights: World Bank (CC BY 4.0)Open the chart →

Palanor calculation from each destination government's published rules; GDP weights from the World Bank (CC BY 4.0), one year for the whole line, so it moves only when a list changes.

GDP by expenditure

What China’s economy runs on

In 2024, household spending was 40.0% of GDP, government consumption 16.7%, investment 40.5% and net exports +2.9% (exports 20.4%, imports 17.5%).

What China's economy runs onSpending by households, government and investment, and net exports, as shares of GDP each yearTotal 100.1% in 2024 · 2024
HouseholdsGovernmentInvestmentNet exports
Source: The World BankOpen the chart →

World Bank national accounts. The parts can miss 100 by a few points (the statistical discrepancy).

Same World Bank definition for every country, so the shares compare directly: What each economy runs on.

IMF World Economic Outlook

The IMF’s outlook for China

The latest year before the October 2026 edition (often still an IMF estimate) and the IMF’s own projections. These are the IMF’s published forecasts, shown as published; Palanor does not project them further. Since the previous edition the IMF raised its growth forecast for this year by 0.1 percentage points (Palanor calculation).

Measure20252026 IMF f’cast2027 IMF f’cast2031 IMF f’cast
Real GDP growth%5.04.54.03.3
Inflation, average consumer prices%0.11.01.42.0
Unemployment rate% of labor force5.15.15.15.1
GDP, current US dollarsUS$ bn19,62621,54622,93928,554
GDP at purchasing-power parityintl $ bn41,26144,55547,79959,287
GDP per person, US dollarsUS$13,97015,37116,40220,650
Current account balance% of GDP3.74.03.93.5
Government gross debt% of GDP98.6104.4109.1122.1
Government overall balance% of GDP-7.9-8.0-8.4-8.0
Government primary balance% of GDP-6.9-6.9-7.1-6.4
Government net interest paid% of GDP · Palanor calc.1.01.11.21.6
China: growth, and the IMF's outlookReal GDP growth, percent a year, IMF history and projectionReal GDP growth: 5.0% in 2025 · 2025
Source: IMF World Economic Outlook Database, October 2026Open the chart →

Source: IMF World Economic Outlook Database (edition on the projection). Dashed: the IMF's published projection.

China: government debt, and the IMF's outlookGeneral government gross debt, % of GDP, IMF history and projectionGross debt: 99% in 2025 · 2025
Source: IMF World Economic Outlook Database, October 2026Open the chart →

Source: IMF World Economic Outlook Database (edition on the projection). Dashed: the IMF's published projection.

Source: IMF World Economic Outlook Database, October 2026. Provided by the IMF “as is” and free of charge from the IMF; the IMF does not endorse Palanor. Net interest paid is a Palanor calculation: the IMF's primary balance minus its overall balance.

Charts

The headline series

China: growth and inflationReal GDP growth and consumer price inflation, percent a yearReal GDP growth: 5.0% in 2025 · 2025
Source: The World BankOpen the chart →
China: Country StrengthPalanor composite of growth, prosperity, public finances, prices, currency, external balance, governance and human development, 0 to 10051.2 in 2025 · 2025
Source: Palanor calculationOpen the chart →
China: share pricesBroad national share price index, monthly average, 2015 = 100, local currency (OECD)106 in Sep 2026 · Sep 2026
Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and DevelopmentOpen the chart →

Discourse

How often S&P 500 companies name China

118 of 445 S&P 500 companies named China on an earnings call in the 90 days to 2026-10-21. 57.0% list it in the risk factors of their latest 10-K. Names only, counted by fixed rules set before any document was read; a mention says the country came up, not why.

How often S&P 500 companies name ChinaShare of S&P 500 companies naming the country on earnings calls (trailing 90 days) and in 10-K risk factors (latest filing)Earnings calls: 26.5% on Oct 22, 2026 · Oct 22, 2026
Source: Palanor calculationOpen the chart →

Conflict

Organized violence

Organized-violence deaths in ChinaDeaths each year from state-based, non-state and one-sided violence, UCDP best estimate0 in 2025 · 2025
Source: Uppsala UniversityOpen the chart →

News

In the news

Week of 2026-08-03: 16 headlines, net tone 0.06Week of 2026-08-10: 8 headlines, net tone -0.25Week of 2026-08-17: 12 headlines, net tone 0.00Week of 2026-08-24: 13 headlines, net tone 0.15Week of 2026-08-31: 10 headlines, net tone 0.00Week of 2026-09-07: 13 headlines, net tone 0.00Week of 2026-09-14: 18 headlines, net tone -0.11Week of 2026-09-21: 29 headlines, net tone 0.00Week of 2026-09-28: 119 headlines, net tone 0.04Week of 2026-10-05: 199 headlines, net tone -0.05Week of 2026-10-12: 142 headlines, net tone 0.08Week of 2026-10-19: 93 headlines, net tone -0.01
Net tone of headlines naming the country, by week (2026-08-03 to 2026-10-19). Above the line: more positive than negative words.

Headlines that name China, matched by name with fixed rules (a wrong match is worse than a missing one). Tone is read from each headline’s own words; no model reads or summarizes an article, and other publishers’ stories link out.

Company graph

Companies headquartered in China

Palanor’s company graph holds 346 entities headquartered here, 17 with a listed ticker (GLEIF headquarters address, else legal address).

  • Kandi Technologies Group, Inc.KNDI · Wilmington
  • Fortune Valley Treasures, Inc.FVTI · Las Vegas
  • Fluent, Inc.FLNT · Wilmington
  • H World Group LtdHTHT · George Town
  • Baidu, Inc.BIDU · George Town
  • High Templar Tech LtdHTT · George Town
  • JOYY Inc.JOYY · GEORGE TOWN
  • JD.com, Inc.JD · George Town, Grand Cayman
  • Meitu Inc./ADRMEIUF · George Town
  • NetEase, Inc.NTES · Kowloon
  • Burning Rock Biotech LtdBNR · George Town, Grand Cayman
  • China Automotive Systems, Inc.CAAS · WILMINGTON

Signals

Every series about China

Grouped by theme, the most-read first. All 340 in the Library.

Growth and output10 of 66

Prices4 of 6

Jobs and people at work4 of 5

Money, rates and credit9 of 10

Stock market and listed companies2

Government and debt8 of 10

Trade and capital flows10 of 17

Energy and resources10 of 58

Conflict and geopolitics8 of 12

Defence2

Aid in and out3

Migration4 of 7

AI stance and technology9 of 10

Climate and the physical world10 of 45

Health and living standards10 of 13

Sentiment and attention4

More about this country2 of 16

Peers

Elsewhere in Asia

Alphabetical. Palanor does not rank countries.

AfghanistanArmeniaAzerbaijanBahrainBangladeshBhutanBruneiCambodiaCyprusGeorgiaHong KongIndiaIndonesiaIranIraqIsraelJapanJordanKazakhstanKuwaitKyrgyzstanLaosLebanonMacaoMalaysiaMaldivesMongoliaMyanmarNepalNorth KoreaOmanPakistanPalestinePhilippinesQatarSaudi ArabiaSingaporeSouth KoreaSri LankaSyriaTaiwanTajikistanThailandTimor-LesteTürkiyeTurkmenistanUnited Arab EmiratesUzbekistanVietnamYemen

Built 2026-10-22 from Palanor’s stored readings. Sources include the World Bank (WDI, WGI; CC BY 4.0), the OECD, UCDP (CC BY 4.0), national statistics offices and central banks, each credited on its signal, and the IMF World Economic Outlook Database (October 2026). Market prices are available inside the Terminal.

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