China slump squeezes workers, hammers consumer spending

BEIJING (AP) — China’s slowing economy is squeezing the urban workers and entrepreneurs the ruling Communist Party is counting on to help transform this country from a low-wage factory floor into a prosperous consumer market.
Headline economic numbers still look healthy. Growth in 2019 is forecast at more than 6 percent, down only slightly from about 6.5 percent last year. But it is propped up by higher government spending, which masks sharp declines in other areas. Those are spookin