China Starts Year With Fastest Rise in Spending Since 2022 (2)

China’s government spending got off to its fastest start to any year since 2022, likely an effort by authorities to fortify the economy in the face of rising external uncertainty.

A broad measure of public expenditure climbed 6% in the January-February period this year from 2025, according to Bloomberg calculations based on Ministry of Finance data released Thursday.

In contrast, broad fiscal revenue fell 1.4%, leaving a deficit of over 1 trillion yuan ($150 billion) under China’s two main budgets — nearly 70% higher than its level a year ago.

China’s fiscal stimulus has recently moved ...