In August, China's economy sent a familiar but intensifying signal to the world: its factories and technology sectors are racing ahead while its own citizens remain cautious spenders. A 25 percent surge in exports, fueled by global appetite for AI chips and high-tech goods, pushed China's trade surplus toward $806 billion — a figure that is less a triumph than a mirror, reflecting the unresolved tension between a nation that excels at making things for others and one that has yet to fully trust its own people to drive growth from within.