Fact Check: British newspaper disparages Chinese economy, but its photo tells different story
BEIJING, July 25 (Xinhua) -- A British newspaper published a report on Sunday claiming that hundreds of millions of homes in China are either empty or incomplete. However, the photo it used as evidence actually showcases the vitality of the Chinese economy.
The Sunday Times article, authored by Ian Williams, features a photo of a construction site in China, with the caption "A building frenzy has left China littered with ghost cities stuffed with empty or incomplete homes like these in Huai'an, Jiangsu Province."
However, what's in the picture has nothing to do with the author's message. Upon inspection, the photo was taken above a construction site of a MiXC mall in the city of Huai'an in east China's Jiangsu Province. Local government sources informed Xinhua that construction of the mall began in September 2023, and is expected to be completed by 2025.
"Construction of the mall has been smooth and we are planning a roof-capping ceremony soon," the sources said.
The latest pictures taken at the construction site show visible progress in construction since the original picture was taken. Workers can also be seen working at the site.
With a total investment of 1.5 billion yuan (about 210 million U.S. dollars), the shopping complex is expected to create over 3,000 jobs and generate 1 billion yuan (140 million dollars) in annual retail sales income, highlighting the vibrancy side of the Chinese economy.
Without fact-checking, the Sunday Times mistook the mall as a residential home project and hinted that it has run into problems. The newspaper has so far not responded to Xinhua's email inquiring about the mistake.