Prez Xi's big economic meeting shows party bracing for slower growth

President Xi Jinping vowed to make “high-quality development” the guiding force of the world’s No. 2 economy, showing few initial signs that the top leadership is preparing to unleash major steps to boost demand or arrest the property slump.

The ruling Communist Party signaled China will stay on course with Xi’s plan to use advanced manufacturing to generate growth, in a vaguely worded statement Thursday marking the close of a twice-decade conclave that’s often heralded major policy shifts. The focus on the factory engine could increase trade tensions, with a surge in Chinese exports already prompting fresh tariffs from the US and the European Union.

“High-quality development is the top mission of building a modern socialist country,” the official Xinhua News Agency said after the four-day meeting in Beijing. That vague slogan is typically interpreted to emphasize the quality of economic growth over its absolute pace. It centers on Xi’s ambitions to move up the value chain through tech innovation and become more resilient against US trade curbs.

“There remains a strong emphasis on high-quality growth. This means the tolerance for a period of modestly slower growth remains in place,” said Becky Liu, head of China macro strategy at Standard Chartered. “And the bar for strong short-term economic stimulus remains very high.”

The ruling party normally issues a more detailed report several days after concluding the Third Plenum. Specific policies taking cues from the confab are more likely to come from a sit-down of China’s 24-man Politburo later this month, which typically focuses on economic issues for the year. 

Chinese officials are facing calls to rebalance their economy, as consumer spending slows while exports surge and policy focuses on new green sectors such as electric cars and solar panels. Second-quarter data undershot expectations this week, after retail sales in June rose at the slowest pace since 2022 piling pressure on Beijing to do more to stimulate the consumer.

Officials put “actively expanding domestic demand” on their to-do list but only as a short-term task in the communique. Despite that, authorities reaffirmed their determination to hitting this year’s social and economic goals, which include an annual growth target of about 5%. 

Xi has said the pace of gross domestic product should no longer be “the sole yardstick of success for development.” 

Other priorities include creating an improved system for setting macroeconomic policies — potentially a reference to avoiding abrupt crackdowns such as those that rocked the education and tech sectors years ago and dented investor confidence.

This meeting — delayed from last year — comes as Chinese policymakers struggle to arrest a crisis in the property market, where the citizens store much of their wealth. Falling house prices and a weak job market have sent China into its longest deflationary streak since 1999. 

That’s causing a growing sense of malaise, with some citizens branding the post-pandemic era “history’s garbage time” — a phrase referring to final moments of a sports game when a losing team has no chance of making a comeback.

Officials vowed to strengthen the guidance of public opinion and “effectively maintain social stability,” without elaborating. “We must enhance cultural confidence, develop advanced socialist culture,” the party pledged, “and build a more effective international communication system.”

The real estate sector, which at one point accounted for a quarter of China’s gross domestic product, was mentioned just once in the nearly 4,000-word announcement. It was stated only in the context of managing risk, a potential signal no dramatic stimulus measures are forthcoming. 

Beijing introduced a broad real estate policy package in May, which centered on relaxing mortgage rules and encouraging local governments to buy unsold homes. It has, so far, had a modest impact.

The government appeared to skip a once-popular phrase that the market should play a “decisive role,” which was used as recently as the last leadership reshuffle in 2022. The ruling party instead said officials should be able to both “let it go” and “control it.” Authorities have signaled a new willingness to control markets in recent months, with the central bank readying a multi-billion yuan pool of bonds to cool a record-breaking rally.

“Measures look to be more focused on the supply side rather than the demand side,” said Bruce Pang, chief economist for Greater China at Jones Lang LaSalle Inc. “That said, the mentioning of urban-rural integration, people’s well-being and fiscal and taxation reform should help improving domestic demand.”  

The scope of the communique — spanning everything from economic to political and social issues — reflected the complex challenges facing China, said Alfredo Montufar-Helu, head of the China Center at The Conference Board. 

“But in trying to tackle each and every one of these challenges, it unfortunately reads as lacking the focus the market expected,” he added, citing “structural issues that are dragging down consumer confidence and impeding China’s transition to a more sustainable development model.”

Military modernization was named a key priority in the document, as the party vowed to improve its social governance operations, as well as national and foreign-related security mechanisms.

The plenum document announced the removal of former Foreign Minister Qin Gang from the party’s Central Committee after he was abruptly fired in July last year, seven months into the job. It also confirmed its decision to oust former defense minister Li Shangfu, who faces corruption charges, and the Rocket Force’s Li Yuchao and Sun Jinming from the party.

Overall, the confab did little to resolve big concerns such as whether the malaise in China’s economy can be resolved, according to Australia & New Zealand Banking Group’s Xing Zhaopeng.

“The question mark on whether there will be a growth turnaround going forward remains in place,” he said.