China: does a thing that stabilizes the entire global economy

Vox: china displays its ability to disrupt the global economy (the very last sentence)

thanks, i’ve been wondering about this

China’s economy hasn’t cratered. Quite the contrary: All available data on industrial output, automobile traffic, pollution, and other economic indicators suggests that the country is humming along as normal.

we seem to be seeing the results of a longer-term strategy. Back in 2023, many analysts were perplexed by the fact that China was dramatically ramping up its imports of crude oil and its refineries were pumping out dramatically higher amounts of gasoline and diesel, despite the fact that the country’s economy was slowing down. There appeared to be little demand for all that fuel at the time.

Whatever the case, China simply has a lot more oil on hand than we thought.

common w for “planning ahead”

When it began its oil-buying spree a few years ago, there was some speculation it might be preparing for a major global crisis

yeah, 2023 is about when this exact crisis was looking pretty inevitable. i agree.

lmao. But at what cost?

Intentionally or not, though, China’s policies may be prolonging the war. Trump is clearly eager to reach a deal to reopen Hormuz, but not desperate enough to agree to major concessions or Iran’s nuclear program or sanctions relief. His urgency might be different if oil were at $150 a barrel rather than $90, putting even more pressure on American consumers during a pivotal election year. For all the attention paid to how Chinese missiles and satellites might be helping Iran’s war effort, that assistance might be outweighed by how its energy policies are helping the US.

Smh, I can’t believe those crafty chinese are prolonging the war. I knew Xi couldn’t be trusted!

Why would a country that’s the world’s largest exporter want to soften the blow of energy prices that other countries rely on to import their goods?