Chinese consumer spending contracted in May as retail sales recorded a 0.6% year-over-year decline. This figure represents the most significant monthly retreat for the sector since the nation’s post-pandemic economic reopening in late 2022.
Capital expenditure also weakened significantly during the period. Fixed-asset investment across the country decreased by 4.1% year-over-year throughout the first five months of 2026. This contraction marks the steepest downturn for the metric in recent years, signaling a broadening slowdown within the world's second-largest economy.