China's GDP Growth Expected To Slow Down In 2H 2017, Analysts Say

After growing 6.9 percent year-on-year in the first half of 2017, China's GDP is forecast to slow down in the second half, with growth for the whole year expected to reach 6.6 percent. In 2018-2019, the country's annual GDP is expected to drop to 6 percent, although consumption is forecast to rise by 7 percent. Based on IMF estimates, average productivity of the country's state-owned enterprises is 25 percent lower than those of their counterparts in the private sector. Productivity growth in the manufacturing sector slowed down from 2.6 percent in 1998-2007 to slightly over zero percent in 2008-2016.