China's economy slows further in August as trade war bites

Beijing

CHINA'S industrial output and retail sales growth slowed further last month, adding pressure on the government for more policy easing.

Data released by the National Bureau of Statistics showed that industrial output grew 4.4 per cent last month, its slowest rate in over 17 years, and well below analysts' expectations of 5.2 per cent. Retail sales missed expectations, with growth easing to 7.5 per cent, from 7.6 per cent in July. Analysts had forecast a slight rebound to 7.9 per cent.