Xpeng’s next-gen Iron humanoid robot speaks to media during a showroom tour at its headquarters in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China, on Nov. 5, 2025. Jade Gao/AFP via Getty Images
China’s ongoing trend of rising high-tech exports amid fading domestic consumption, as borne out in the official data for May, points to structural and economic problems, according to analysts.
Retail sales, a key indicator of consumption, fell 0.6 percent in May for the first time since December 2022, according to data from the Chinese regime’s National Bureau of Statistics. Domestic investment also slumped, with fixed-asset investment falling 4.1 percent in the first five months of 2026, compared to a 1.6 percent decline in January–April.
