Satellite data show extent of China’s crippling Covid-19 lockdowns

tech.hindustantimes.com:

Chinese port activity fell below levels seen during the first coronavirus outbreak in 2020 and construction has plummeted, satellite data show, suggesting official economic figures will likely worsen as Covid-1 lockdowns spread.

Satellite images are becoming an important real-time data tool to measure the impact of China’s worst coronavirus outbreak since 2020. Official numbers are released only monthly, and are increasingly coming under scrutiny as Beijing sticks to its ambitious growth target of about 5.5% even though its Covid Zero approach has forced major hubs like Shanghai to shut down. 

San Francisco-based SpaceKnow, which tracks activity at more than 1,300 factories from space, said manufacturing output remained strong through the lockdowns in March and early April, although inventories are building up. That’s likely a sign of logistical snarls as coronavirus restrictions cause major disruptions and shortages of trucks able to move goods to ports and around the country. 

The data from SpaceKnow and Chinese company Four Squares Technology Ltd., which tracks activity on building sites from satellites, show major slumps at ports and in construction. However, manufacturing and retail activity tracked through satellite images appear to back the trend in official data so far.  

Factory output nationwide was in line with normal seasonal patterns, although the data shows output was below average levels for most of March, according to SpaceKnow. 

The picture is very different for Chinese ports, where activity is back to the low levels seen during the 2020 lockdowns. Inland waterway traffic, referring to freight transported on rivers, is currently well below the lows of January 2020, according to SpaceKnow.

There are signs that