China’s yearslong trade war with the U.S. convinced its leaders the country needed to move faster to expand its domestic consumer market so its economy couldn’t be whipsawed so easily by shifts in Western demand.
The coronavirus pandemic, however, has steered China in the opposite direction, making exports a larger driver of growth than at any other time in years and leaving the country more exposed to spending by Western shoppers. That is worsening economic imbalances that Chinese leaders are struggling to address as the pandemic approaches its third year.
Read more on wsj.com