China’s 2025 Plan: Front-Load Bonds for Infrastructure Boost

You might have heard that China has a big plan. They’re thinking about giving local governments some cash early for big projects. This money comes in the form of special bonds. Normally, the government decides how much debt these local folks can take on in the fourth quarter. But this time, they might do it sooner. Why? Well, China wants to make sure big projects get funding fast. They think bond money can really help the economy get back on its feet. By the end of October, local governments had almost used up all the bond money they were given for 2024. That’s a lot of money – about 3. 9 trillion yuan, or around $539 billion! This shows that the economy needs a boost. Even though consumer spending picked up, factory output growth slowed down in October. China has been working hard to keep the economy growing. They’ve already rolled out a big debt package worth 10 trillion yuan to help local governments. Plus, the central bank has been giving out more cash and cutting interest rates since late September. All this is to help China meet its growth target of about 5% for 2024. But here’s the thing – will it really work? Some folks think the property sector is still hurting, and the US election results might bring more pressure. So, China is trying to stay one step ahead.