China GDP growth slows to 6.2% in second quarter
China's growth slowed to its weakest pace in almost three decades in the second quarter, with the US-China trade war and weakening global demand weighing on the world's number-two economy, official data showed Monday. The slowing economy makes it more difficult for President Xi Jinping to fight back forcefully against Washington -- which is using tariffs as leverage to try to force Beijing into opening up its economy. The 6.2 percent figure released by the National Bureau of Statistics was in line with a survey of analysts by AFP and down from a 6.4 percent expansion in the first quarter. The GDP figures are within the government's target range of 6.0-6.5 percent for the whole year, down from the 6.6 percent growth China put up in 2018. "Economic conditions are still severe both at home and abroad, global economic growth is slowing down and the external instabilities and uncertainties are increasing," said NBS spokesman Mao Shengyong. "The economy