China’s economy has slowed as trade turmoil triggered by US President Donald Trump’s tariffs and a prolonged crisis in the property market weigh on growth.
Official figures show the world’s second largest economy grew by 5.2% in the three months to the end of June, compared to the same time last year. That’s down from 5.4% in the previous quarter.
But the country has so far avoided a sharp downturn, partly due to measures announced by Beijing to help support the economy and a fragile tariffs truce with Washington.
The economy “withstood pressure and made steady improvement despite challenges”, said China’s National Bureau of Statistics in a statement.
Also on Tuesday, official figures showed a drop in China’s new home prices in June, falling at the fastest monthly pace in eight months.
The data suggests the country’s real estate industry is continuing to struggle despite several rounds of measures to support property prices.
Some economists expect China to miss its “around 5%” annual growth target this year.
“The real question is by how much. We believe it will defend a floor of 4%, which remains the minimum politically acceptable level,” Dan Wang, director for China at consultancy Eurasia Group told the BBC.
A tariffs war between China’s President Xi Jinping and Trump led to the US imposing a 145% levy on Chinese imports. In return, Beijing introduced a 125% duty on some US goods.
Those tariffs were paused after negotiations in Geneva and London. The two sides now have until 12 August to reach a long-term trade deal.
Washington has also hit countries with close economic ties to China with heavy levies.
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