China’s Recovery Threatened by Surging Prices, Stagnant Wages
- Floods have sent food prices higher again, hitting poor
- Rural households spend the largest share of income on food
Photographer: Nicolas Asfouri/AFP via Getty Images
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First the pandemic and now floods are slashing the spending power of Chinese households this year, as stagnant incomes and rising costs undermine the strength of the domestic recovery.
That trend may also be worsening China’s already severe income inequality, according to data from the National Bureau of Statistics. The median disposable income -- about $1000 per quarter -- actually fell as the virus lockdowns hit, and the fact that it’s recovering slower than the mean likely indicates a widening gap with wealthy Chinese.