#china-economy

#china-economy

China's economy is stuck in the doldrums. Youth unemployment is at a two-year high. Housing prices have been falling for more than four years, and many believe they're yet to hit bottom. And Chinese consumers, like 32-year-old Lu Yingcai and 36-year-old Liu Lu, who NPR recently met on the streets of Beijing, are tightening their belts. LU YINGCAI: (Through interpreter) I'm actually traveling less and eating out less often.

On Wednesday morning, the three men led a group of more than 20 world leaders as they strode towards a rostrum in Tiananmen Square in Beijing to watch a victory day parade marking the end, eight decades ago, of a global conflict that would soon usher in the first cold war. When Wednesday's celebrations end, however, the regimes in Beijing, Moscow and Pyongyang will be left to confront significant domestic challenges that might yet shift their focus from global power politics.

World shares are generally higher after most stocks on Wall Street fell following a disappointing report that said inflation was worse last month at the U.S. wholesale level than economists had expected.