China’s economy grew at lower than expected at 6.3% in the second quarter

China’s economy grew at a 6.3 per cent annual pace in the April-June quarter, much lower than analysts had forecasted, given the slow pace of growth the year before.
The world’s second-largest economy is expected to slow further in coming months given slack consumer demand in China and weaker demand for Chinese exports in other economies as their post-pandemic recoveries lose momentum.
The 6.3 per cent growth in China’s gross domestic product from April to June outpaced a 4.5 per cent rate of growth in the previous quarter, according to government data released Monday.
In quarterly terms, the economy grew 0.8 per cent compared to the first three months of the year. The still robust growth is largely due to the economy growing just 0.4 per cent a year earlier amid strict lockdowns in Shanghai and other cities during major outbreaks of COVID-19. Analysts had forecasted growth for the quarter that ended in June to exceed 7 per cent. China’s GDP in the first quarter beat expectations and grew by 4.5 per cent as consumers flocked to shopping malls and restaurants after nearly three years of “zero-COVID” restrictions were removed in late 2022. Earlier this year, China’s government set this year’s economic growth target at “around 5 per cent,” a conservative goal that will only be met if GDP grows faster in the months ahead.
Data released earlier showed exports declined 12.4 per cent in June from a year earlier as global demand faltered after central banks in US and Europe raised interest rates to curb inflation. Retail sales, an indicator of consumer demand, in June rose 3.1 per cent from the same period in 2022.