(Jan 23): China will set a lower economic growth goal for 2026 than last year, the South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported, in a sign top leaders may refrain from measures to reverse a slowdown that intensified in recent months. For policymakers to reach their goal of making China a moderately developed economy by 2035, growth needs to average 4.17% over the next decade. Net exports contributed a third of economic growth in 2025, the highest level since 1997, official data showed. A less ambitious growth target and less stimulus could hold back China’s purchases of foreign goods, given domestic demand is stagnating, according to Louis Kuijs, the chief Asia-Pacific economist of S&P Global Ratings. “Reducing the growth target somewhat would acknowledge the pressure on organic growth, requiring less ‘artificial’ growth from stimulus, while allowing continued focus on technological innovation and autonomy,” Kuijs said.

Source: The Edge Markets January 23, 2026 07:57 UTC