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[ad_1] BEIJING: China’s economy grew 6.3% in the second quarter of the year after near-stagnant growth a year earlier, missing analyst expectations even as momentum is expected to weaken in the coming quarters. The 6.3% growth in China’s gross domestic product from April to June compared to the same period in 2022 was the fastest in the past year, and outpaced the 4.5% growth in the previous quarter, according to government data released Monday. The GDP in the second quarter was up 0.8% compared to the first three months of the year. The surge in growth is largely due to China’s GDP growing just 0.4% a year ago, amid strict lockdowns in cities like Shanghai during China's worst Covid-19 outbreak of the pandemic. Analysts had forecasted growth for the quarter ended June to exceed 7%. China’s GDP in the first quarter beat expectations and grew by 4.5%, as consumers flocked to shopping malls and restaurants after nearly three years of “zero-COVID” restrictions were removed at th

[ad_1] BEIJING: Expansion in China’s services industry slowed in June from the previous month, according to a private survey, providing more evidence that the key driver of the country’s post-Covid recovery is cooling. The Caixin China services purchasing managers’ index declined to 53.9 from 57.1 in May, Caixin and S&P Global said in a statement Wednesday, the weakest since January and well below the median forecast of 56.2 among economists surveyed by Bloomberg. Any reading over 50 indicates an expansion from the prior month, while a number below that suggests contraction. The drop indicates the stronger leg in China’s K-shaped economic recovery this year is losing momentum as consumers scale back spending on services such as travel and restaurants amid elevated youth unemployment and a gloomy income outlook. The data will likely spur more calls for the government to ramp up measures to support growth. “The pressure is mounting to stabilize employment,” said Bruce Pang, ch