Covid’s still a big issue for China – and that’s trouble for global economy

The economic outlook for China is not good however its leaders respond to anti-lockdown protests

For much of the world there has been hope for some time that the worst economic shocks from the Covid pandemic are in the rearview mirror. In China, however, there are important reminders that risks to the world economy still remain.

Three years since the virus first spread, protests in several Chinese cities against the Beijing government's strict zero-Covid policies have reignited concerns in financial markets over the economic costs of the pandemic. Global oil prices have fallen back, while the Chinese yuan and stock markets across Asia have taken a hammering.