China's economic growth slows to lowest level in decades

(Image credit: Lintao Zhang / Getty Images)

published 15 July 2019

Amid rising trade tensions with the United States, China's economy continued to slow down in the second quarter, with growth dropping to its lowest level in 27 years, Chinese officials announced Monday.

The economy grew 6.2 percent between April and June compared to a year earlier, matching estimates. In June, retail sales went up 9.8. percent and factory output rose 6.3 percent, while investment gained 5.8 percent during the first half of the year.

Following President Trump's decision to impose more tariffs on Chinese goods, exports to the U.S. fell 7.8 percent in June compared to a year ago. Representatives from the U.S. and China are still trying to craft a trade deal between the two countries.

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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.