US, July 30 -- The official Chinese statistics for the second quarter of 2025 report a 5.2% increase in GDP, well within the corridor of "about 5%" growth the government plans for this year.However, many observers experience cognitive dissonance between this number and their impressions while moving around in China, encountering half-empty shopping malls, large groups of unemployed youth, and a general anxiety about the country's future.More than twelve million students are currently graduating. They are looking for jobs in a situation where most companies would rather shrink than expand their workforce, and AI is additionally killing white-collar jobs at an increasing rate.Exports to Africa and India grew strongly in the first half of 2025...