Why China’s economy is struggling

Goldman Sachs has lowered its 2024 China GDP growth forecast to 4.7% below the official 5% target, citing persistent oversupply in the property sector and weak consumer demand. While the government retains fiscal capacity to expand central debt to 110–120% of GDP, current strategy focuses on stabilizing homeowners rather than rescuing developers due to fears of asset bubbles. The report warns that a potential 60% U.S. tariff could further suppress growth by 2 percentage points, likely forcing a shift to aggressive stimulus if domestic resilience fails.