China's Economic Slowdown: A Symptom of Broader Structural Issues? China's economic slowdown has deepened in July, with retail sales barely growing and investment contracting at an alarming rate.
While Beijing may meet its growth target range for the year, underlying trends suggest a more profound malaise. The collapse in consumer spending power is striking.
China's retail sales growth slowed sharply over the past year, easing to 1. 3% in the first half of this year from 5% in the same period last year.