Multiple outlets report that China’s push under President Xi Jinping to raise domestic demand is not producing the desired economic momentum. Reporting characterizes economic activity as sputtering in the middle of 2026, suggesting that recent efforts to stimulate spending and support growth are not yet translating into sustained improvement. The articles link the slowdown in activity to a gap between policy intent and observable results, noting that the economy’s performance in mid-2026 is weaker than what stimulus measures aim to achieve. While the coverage focuses on the broader question of why demand-boosting efforts have not “worked” as expected, it does not attribute the outcome to a single cause in the provided excerpts. Instead, both sources describe a general lack of traction in the near-term, implying that underlying constraints are limiting the effectiveness of measures intended to galvanize growth. Overall, the reporting frames the situation as an ongoing test of China’s demand-side strategy, with policymakers facing pressure to adjust policy approaches given the lack of immediate, visible pickup in activity.