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| Photo: EPA |
The Chinese economy expanded 6.9 percent last quarter, the same as the previous three months and better than the 6.8 percent tipped in an Agence France-Presse survey.
“The national economy has maintained the momentum of steady and sound development in the first half of 2017, laying a solid foundation for achieving the annual target and better performance,” Chinese National Bureau of Statistics spokesman Xing Zhihong said.
Industrial production grew 7.6 percent last month, while retail sales were up 11 percent, both better than the previous month, according to the official data.
However, analysts expect a deceleration of the overall economy...
Debt-fueled investment in infrastructure and real estate has underpinned China’s growth for years, but Beijing has launched a crackdown over fears of a potential financial crisis.Fitch Ratings on Friday maintained its “A-plus” country rating for China, but said its growing debt could trigger “economic and financial shocks.”
The statement followed Moody’s decision in May to downgrade China for the first time in almost three decades on concerns over its ballooning credit and slowing growth.
Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) called for tougher regulations to crack down on financial risks during a weekend National Financial Work Conference, which sets the tone for reforms, state media said. The government will continue to deleverage the economy through prudent monetary policy and by reducing leverage in state-owned enterprises, Xi said...
Analysts expect tighter restrictions on property purchases and bank lending will continue to weigh on the economy in the months ahead, but a sharp slowdown in the second half is unlikely as policymakers prepare for an important Chinese Communist Party congress later this year that will likely cement Xi’s place as the most powerful leader in a generation.
“It is therefore highly probable that authorities will use the resources and policy tools at their disposal to ensure a positive economic outcome,” Citibank said in a note.
The government has trimmed its growth target for this year to about 6.5 percent, after it expanded 6.7 percent last year — its slowest rate in more than a quarter of a century.
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang last month said that the country could reach this year’s economic growth targets. Last quarter’s growth momentum had continued into the current one, he said, adding that traditional economic indicators, such as power generation and consumption, and new business orders had increased “significantly.”
