FirstFT: China delays key GDP data in middle of party congress

Good morning. China has delayed at the last minute the release of eagerly anticipated third quarter economic data, including its closely watched gross domestic product growth rate, which were due to be issued in the middle of the 20th Communist party conference.

No explanation for the postponement was given in an update to an official statistics calendar and no new dates were provided. The National Bureau of Statistics did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The latest figures were originally set to be published today at a politically sensitive time, with President Xi Jinping expected to use the party congress to extend his powers for a third term and outline Chain’s overarching policy approach.

The economic data were expected to highlight China’s continued economic weaknesses, including a worsening property crisis and the impact of strict zero-Covid policies that this year locked down dozens of big cities, stifled consumption and effectively closed the country off from the rest of the world.

Economists polled by Bloomberg had forecast GDP growth of 3.3 per cent year on year in the third quarter, compared with a 5.5 per cent full-year growth target that was already the lowest in three decades.

More on the Communist party conference:

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Five more stories in the news

1. Hunt rips up Truss’s economic policy in bid to calm markets Jeremy Hunt, the new UK chancellor, scrapped two-thirds of the controversial £45bn of unfunded tax cuts announced by his predecessor Kwasi Kwarteng and warned of “eye-wateringly difficult” decisions still to come to balance the books. The move reassured markets, but left the future of prime minister Liz Truss hanging by a thread.

2. EU ministers advised to take tougher line on China The EU’s foreign service has advised the bloc’s members to toughen up its attitude towards China and limit areas of potential engagement, ahead of talks on recalibrating Brussels’ strategy towards Beijing. It recommended that the EU work more closely with the US, strengthen its cyber and hybrid threat defences, and diversify its supply chains away from China.

3. Blasts heard as suspected Russian drones strike Kyiv At least five explosions were heard in the centre of Kyiv early today as Russia conducted renewed strikes on the Ukrainian capital with Iran-suppled kamikaze drones. The attacks hit a building and the area near the central railway station in the Shevchenkivsky district of the capital, the target of last week’s strikes.

• Sanctions: EU member states have signalled their support to impose fresh sanctions on Iran if its military backing for Russia’s war in Ukraine is proved in the wake of attacks on Kyiv allegedly using Iranian-made drones.

4. SoftBank writes off £450mn after dumping THG stake The Japanese technology investment group is dumping its entire stake in troubled UK ecommerce company THG, crystallising a £450mn loss for SoftBank. The disposal comes as the company is liquidating its internal hedge fund after a series of bad bets, including an 8 per cent stake it bought in THG in May 2021 for about £481mn.

5. Fumio Kishida orders probe of Moonies The Japanese government will launch an investigation into the Unification Church amid a public outcry over close ties between politicians and the South Korean religious group that came to light following the assassination of former prime minister Shinzo Abe. The probe into the church, commonly known as the “Moonies”, is unusual in Japan, where a guarantee of religious freedom makes it difficult for authorities to investigate such groups.

The day ahead

Opening of Qatar’s Al-Kharsaah plant The solar power plant is a key part of the country’s ambition to host the first net zero football World Cup, which begins next month.

UK cabinet meeting Cuts and “efficiency savings” will be discussed by ministers at a Downing Street reception at a formal cabinet meeting today.

Earnings Results season continues with Goldman Sachs, Hasbro, Johnson & Johnson, Lockheed Martin, Netflix, Roche and State Street among the companies reporting on Tuesday.

Join FT journalists for a subscriber-exclusive webinar on October 26 exploring what the outcome of the Communist party’s congress means for China and the world. Register for your free pass here.

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