Despite a modest rise in national retail sales, Beijing and Shanghai face significant declines, prompting state media to launch a confidence-boosting campaign.

For the original article this summary is based on, see the publisher’s website here: Beijing’s Consumption Plummeted, Prompting the People’s Daily to Urge People Not to Dismiss the Economic Situation Simply Because of Negative Sentiment | Radio France Internationale

In Brief By Probe International

Official statistics indicate that China’s national retail sales experienced modest growth in August, rising by 3.4% year-on-year and 4.6% for the January–August period; however, major cities are struggling significantly, reports Radio France Internationale (RFI).

Beijing saw a sharp decline of 11.4% in August and a 5.1% drop year-to-date, while Shanghai experienced a temporary rebound with a 13% increase in August but only achieved modest cumulative growth of 3.7%. Analysts, notes RFI, attribute this structural divergence to first-tier cities underperforming due to weaknesses in the housing market, job losses, and population outflows.

In response, state media initiated a campaign to boost confidence, emphasizing the long-term stability provided by one-party rule and promoting holiday tourism as a sign of resilience—efforts viewed as attempts to counter economic pessimism and shape the narrative ahead of the Communist Party’s Fourth Plenary Session.

The CCP’s official newspaper, People’s Daily, published six consecutive days of editorials [see below] from the Central Financial and Economic Affairs Commission Office, asserting that the Party’s long-term governance serves as a stable foundation for China’s economic development and that the challenges faced by some enterprises should not overshadow the overall economic situation.

1. 09/30/2025 China’s Economic Transformation and Leap in the New Era from a Global Perspective (A Special Study on China’s Economy under the Guidance of Xi Jinping Economic Thought)

2. 10/01/2025 Understanding the Underlying Logic of China’s Long-Term Economic Stability and Development

3. 10/02/2025 Viewing China’s Current Economic Development Objectively and Scientifically

4. 10/03/2025 Major Opportunities in China’s Economic Transformation and Upgrading

5. 10/04/2025 Comprehensively Recognizing the Certainty of China’s High-Quality Economic Growth

6. 10/05/2025 China as a Global Model of Inclusive Development

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State Media Rallies Confidence in China’s Economy with Six Consecutive Days of Commentaries