Cutting through an overload of information to get to the heart of the story.
This is The Point.
As 2025 draws to a close,
the National Bureau of Statistics of China released economic data for the month of November,
saying the indices point to a sustained steady development momentum with progress.
But a recent Wall Street Journal and analysis based largely on the same official data paints a very different picture.
It argues that China's economy is deteriorating,
that the growth momentum has weakened across the board,
the consumer demand is faltering and that exports are now doing most of the heavy lifting for the world's second largest economy.
Which story is closer to reality?
Is China's economy stabilizing or quietly losing steam?
Are we looking at resilience and structural upgrading,
or are growth increasingly propped up by external demand?
Welcome to this edition of The Point with me, Liu Xin, coming to you from Beijing.
I'm pleased to be joined from Portland, the U.S.
by Professor Liang Yen, Kremlin Chair Professor of Economics at William Mett University.
From Oslo, Norway by Carl Fe Professor of Strategy.
at BI Norwegian Business School in Oslo, and here in the studio,
Professor John Gong at the University of International Business and Economics.
The warmest welcome to all of you.