China posts its lowest quarterly growth in 27 years as the trade war drags on

07/14/2019

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Huileng Tan | CNBC

China released second-quarter figures on Monday showing that its economy slowed to 6.2% — the weakest rate in at least 27 years, as the country’s trade war with the U.S. took its toll.

From April to June, China’s economy grew 6.2% from a year ago, the country’s statistics bureau said on Monday. That was in line with the expectations of analysts polled by Reuters, and lower than the 6.4% year-on-year growth in the first quarter of 2019.

The second quarter economic growth was the country’s slowest pace since the first quarter of 1992 — the earliest quarterly data on record, according to Reuters.

China’s statistics bureau said the economy faces a complex situation with increasing external uncertainties, Reuters reported. The world’s second largest economy also faces new downward pressures and will try to ensure steady economic growth, the statistics bureau added.

China’s months-long trade dispute with the U.S. has weighed on its economy.

“Uncertainty caused by the US-China trade war was an important factor and we think this will persist, despite the recent tariff truce, ” said Tom Rafferty, principal economist for China at The Economist Intelligence Unit.

“Businesses remain skeptical that the two countries will reach a broader trade agreement and recognise that trade tensions may escalate again,” wrote Rafferty in a note on Monday.

One analyst said he will be watching China’s employment numbers more closely for a better read of the economy.

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