China’s go-go days are behind it as the world’s second-largest economy struggles with the bursting of the biggest real-estate bubble ever. Now, China’s goal of overtaking the U.S. as the world’s largest economy might take decades longer than Beijing expected—if it happens at all.

If Xi Jinping has plans to tackle China’s problems, now would be a great time to share them, William Pesek writes in a guest commentary.

China's economic slowdown is closely tied to a significant drop in productivity. This downturn is driven by several factors, including a shift toward low-productivity sectors like real estate, demographic challenges,