In August, China's economy once again revealed its deepest structural tension: a nation that excels at selling to the world while its own people and businesses remain reluctant to spend. Exports grew 25 percent year-over-year, meeting expectations, while imports disappointed at 28.2 percent, widening the trade surplus to $119.09 billion. This imbalance, long a source of friction with trading partners, now arrives at a particularly delicate moment — with Xi Jinping preparing to visit Washington and G20 finance ministers openly calling for China to rebalance its economic model.