China’s Spending Slowdown Deepens as Households Tighten Their Belts NYT - Top Stories By: Keith Bradsher 16 June 2026 at 05:19 The unexpected decline in retail sales underscored China’s growing reliance on exports to sustain economic growth as domestic demand continues to falter. © Qilai Shen for The New York TimesRetail sales dropped 0.6 percent in May from the same month a year earlier, the National Bureau of Statistics said on Tuesday.