China’s Economic Growth Slows Amid Weak Consumer Spending, US Tariff Fears

Chinese authorities have been struggling to shift the economy away from exports toward growth driven by domestic demand.

A container ship arrives at the port in Lianyungang, in Jiangsu Province, China, on July 14, 2025. STR/AFP via Getty Images

The Chinese regime said on July 15 that its economic growth slowed slightly in the second quarter, highlighting concerns over weak domestic demand and trade tensions with the United States.

China’s economy in the April to June quarter expanded by 5.2 percent from the same period last year, Beijing’s National Statistics Bureau reported. It’s slightly above the 5.1 percent that economists polled by Reuters had projected, but slower than during the first three months, when gross domestic product (GDP) rose by 5.4 percent year over year.