China waits anxiously for economic direction

TIANJIN, China — Rows and rows of partially inhabited high-rises sprawl into the suburbs of the northern Chinese metropolis of Tianjin, their empty balconies emblematic of a slowing economy that has not kept pace with the country’s ambitions.

A year and a half after crippling Covid-19 restrictions ended, the property crisis is just one of the deadweights dragging on China’s recovery momentum, sending ripples of unease through the country’s leaders and citizens.