China’s economy slows to 4.3% in Q2 as domestic demand weakens

China’s economy lost momentum in the second quarter of 2026, with growth slowing more than expected as weak domestic demand continued to weigh on the country’s recovery. Official data released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) on Wednesday showed that the world’s second-largest economy expanded by 4.3% between April and June, down from 5% in the first quarter. The latest figure is the slowest quarterly growth since the end of 2022 and falls below China’s annual growth target. For the first half of 2026, China’s economy grew 4.7% year-on-year, with total economic output reaching around 69.57 trillion yuan (about…