Half of China’s Provinces Fall Behind the National Economy

More than half of China’s provinces and provincial-level municipalities reported slower economic growth in the first half than the national economy’s 5.5% expansion, largely reflecting the ongoing slump in the real estate industry and slack global demand for manufactured goods.

Of the 28 jurisdictions that posted first-half results, 15 reported slower-than-average growth. Southeast China’s Jiangxi province brought up the rear with economic expansion of just 2.4%. Ten jurisdictions beat the national economy, led by Shanghai with growth of 9.7%.