Breaking | China reports 4. 3% GDP growth in second quarter, falling short of expectations
China’s economy fell short of market expectations with a 4. 3 per cent gross domestic product growth rate recorded in the second quarter, underscoring the need for stronger policy support to address weak. . .
China’s economy fell short of market expectations with a 4. 3 per cent gross domestic product growth rate recorded in the second quarter, underscoring the need for stronger policy support to address weak domestic demand and persistent economic imbalances. The closely watched GDP figures, released by the National Bureau of Statistics on Wednesday, came in below the 4. 48 per cent forecast from economists surveyed by Chinese financial data provider Wind. The second-quarter growth – which marked a deceleration from the5 per cent expansionrecorded in the first three months of 2026 – brought China’s first-half growth to 4. 7 per cent, according to the bureau. Beijing has set this year’s growth target at “4. 5 to 5 per cent” – a rangemarking a slight shiftfrom the “around 5 per cent” goal that had been the recent norm – as the economy grapples with numerous headwinds, including weak domestic demand, a prolonged downturn in the property market and rising external risks. Retail sales, a major gauge of consumption, rose by 1 per cent year on year in June, beating the 0. 09 per cent growth projection from the Wind poll. The metric fell by 0. 6 per cent year on year in May, the first decline since China lifted Covid-19 lockdowns at the end of 2022. Overall fixed-asset investment – covering major items such as infrastructure, manufacturing and property construction – dropped by 5. 7 per cent year on year in the first six months of 2026, widening the 4. 1 per cent decline recorded in the January-May period.