China’s economy grew 6.7 per cent in the second quarter, unchanged from the previous three-month period, as a buoyant property market and government spending on infrastructure softened the blow from a slowdown in manufacturing.
The latest quarterly real growth figure is slightly ahead of the 6.6 per cent pace that economists expected, according to a Reuters poll. China’s legislature approved a full-year growth target of 6.5 to 7 per cent for 2016. China’s economy grew 6.9 per cent in 2015.
China’s industrial economy, which is suffering from rampant overcapacity and deflation, remained a drag on growth, but less so than in the first quarter, Value added from industrial sectors — which include manufacturing, construction, mining, and power generation — grew at a 6.1 per cent annual pace in the first half, up from 5.8 per cent growth in the first quarter.