Beijing

CHINA'S industrial output growth slumped to a 17-year low and retail sales remained tepid in July, a sign the economy is struggling to stabilise as the trade war with the US drags on into a second year.

Industrial output rose 4.8 per cent from a year earlier, while retail sales expanded 7.6 per cent, and fixed-asset investment growth slowed to 5.7 per cent in the first seven months of 2019, below analysts expectations that had anticipated some respite after a short-lived rebound in June.