China's GDP grew 4.3% year-on-year in the second quarter, the slowest pace in three years and below the 5% growth in Q1, according to the National Bureau of Statistics. The data missed economist forecasts, reflecting a broader slowdown driven by a prolonged property crisis and weak consumer demand.
China's economy expanded at its weakest pace in three years during the second quarter of 2026, with GDP rising 4.3% year-on-year, the National Bureau of Statistics reported Wednesday. The figure marks a slowdown from 5% growth in the first quarter and fell short of economist expectations. The data underscores persistent headwinds: a prolonged real estate crisis continues to weigh on construction activity, and retail sales remain volatile — declining in May for the first time since the end of the COVID lockdowns in late 2022 before recovering modestly in June. While industrial output has been boosted by global demand for semiconductors and electric vehicles tied to AI and energy efficiency, many Chinese households face economic pressure, with weak job creation outside the manufacturing sector and stagnant wages. The slowdown comes amid broader trade tensions and a shift in Beijing's economic strategy toward state oversight of strategic technologies, as The Zioneer reported earlier this month in the context of China's tightening rules on overseas investments.
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