The China Compass - August 2012, published by The Beijing Axis, combines basic country data of China, as well as other major world economies, with more detailed analysis of a wide range of macroeconomic and social data; presents a comprehensive picture of the ever-changing and evolving Chinese landscape; contains up-to-date statistics, topical themes and insights; and is presented in a reader-friendly format as a useful desk reference for executives with a China agenda.

Click here to download the August 2012 edition

Since our last edition, the developed world has been unable to escape from a self-induced sovereign debt crisis, which has fuelled speculation as to whether China's economy is headed for a 'soft' or 'hard' landing. While China's GDP growth has subsequently slowed to 9.2% in 2011 and 7.8% year-on-year in the first half of 2012, fears of 'hard' landing seem overblown. Even growth of 7.6% in the second quarter fits with our core view that China's annual growth rate for 2012 is still expected to be around 8%.

As China attempts to rebalance its economy towards a more sustainable growth pattern that puts a greater emphasis on domestic consumption while sheltering the economy from the global slowdown, we expect many cyclical and structural changes and increased volatility. However, we still do not foresee a hard landing.

Our focus and theme of this edition is 'China Moves Towards Growth Moderation and Sustainability', featuring sections on:

• Selected Macroeconomic Indicators
• Domestic Consumption and Foreign Trade
• Domestic and Foreign Investment
• Financial Indicators
• Social Indicators

We trust that this edition of The China Compass will continue to shed light on past developments, current issues and future prospects of the Chinese economy, making this fascinating and complex story slightly more comprehensible.

As always, we welcome and appreciate all feedback. 

The China Compass is published by The Beijing Axis, a China-focused international advisory and procurement firm. 

For more publications by The Beijing Axis, including past editions of The China Compass, please visit the 'News & Media' section of The Beijing Axis website.