Do sentiment indicators help to assess and predict actual developments in the Chinese economy?

In 2005, China surpassed France and the UK in nominal GDP to become the fourth largest economy in the world after Germany, Japan and the US. If we apply GDP in PPP terms, only the US outranks China. China’s global role is underlined by the fact that foreign trade plays a more prominent role in the Chinese economy than in most other large economies: its exports-to-GDP ratio is about 37 per cent. ¹ In recent years, China’s contribution to global economic growth has been particularly noteworthy.