China Vows to Keep Up Spending in 2024 After Stimulus Cut
- 2023 overall deficit hit $1.2 trillion, 1% shy of record
- Sovereign bond issuance will be front-loaded this year: MOF
This article is for subscribers only.
China pledged to keep spending this year despite a property market slump weighing on key government revenue sources, raising hopes that fiscal expansion can provide more support for a slowing economy.
Fiscal spending in 2024 will be maintained at a “necessary intensity,” Ministry of Finance officials said Thursday. Hours later, data showed that Beijing withdrew stimulus last year, with 2023’s overall deficit at 8.84 trillion yuan ($1.2 trillion). That was lower both in absolute terms and as a share of gross domestic product than the previous year, according to Bloomberg calculations based on official data.