"China's Fourth-Quarter GDP Misses Estimates, Youth Unemployment Data Resumes"

China missed fourth-quarter GDP estimates, reporting 5.2% growth for 2023, slightly below expectations, while also resuming the release of youth unemployment data, with a 14.9% unemployment rate for young people ages 16 to 24. Retail sales grew by 7.4% in December, industrial production rose by 6.8%, and fixed asset investment for 2023 increased by 3%. The population shrank by more than 2 million people to 1.41 billion in 2023 from the prior year, and the statistics bureau emphasized the need to enhance economic vitality and mitigate risks for sustained growth.