Beijing eases monetary policy to boost ailing economy

BEIJING

A woman pushes an elderly man past a Nike store at a mall in Beijing, Wednesday, May 7, 2025.

China Wednesday eased key monetary policy tools in a bid to boost its ailing economy as it struggles with the effects of weak consumption and the trade war with the United States.

The country's leaders are battling to reignite growth, which has not fully recovered since the COVID-19 pandemic, crippled by sluggish domestic demand and a protracted property sector crisis.

Wednesday, the head of China's central bank told a news conference that Beijing would cut a key interest rate and lower the amount banks must hold in reserve in order to boost lending.

"The reserve requirement ratio will be cut by 0.5 percentage points," Pan Gongsheng said, adding that it will also lower its seven-day reverse repurchase rate to 1.4 percent from 1.5 percent.

A persistent crisis in the property sector, once a key driver of growth, also remains a drag on the economy.

In an effort to boost demand, Pan said Wednesday the bank would cut the rate for first-time home purchases with loan terms over five years to 2.6 percent, from 2.85 percent.

The moves represent some of China's most sweeping steps to boost its ailing economy since September.

Beijing has said it is targeting annual growth this year of around 5 percent, the same as last year and a figure considered ambitious by many economists.

China last year announced a string of aggressive measures to reignite its economy.

But after a blistering market rally fuelled by hopes for a long-awaited "bazooka stimulus", optimism waned as authorities refrained from providing a specific figure for the bailout.

Analysts now think the impact of tariffs may lead Beijing to reconsider its caution and push ahead with fresh stimulus.