China's economy returned to growth in the second quarter after a deep slump at the start of the year, but domestic consumption and investment remained weak as the shock from the coronavirus crisis underscored the need for more policy support to bolster the recovery.
The gross domestic product data, as well as key June indicators, will be closely scrutinized around the world, especially as many countries continue to grapple with the COVID-19 pandemic even as China has largely managed to contain the outbreak and has begun to restart its economic engines.
GDP rose 3.2 percent in the second quarter from a year earlier, the National Bureau of Statistics said Thursday, faster than the 2.5 percent forecast by analysts in a Reuters poll, as lockdown measures ended and policymakers ramped up stimulus to combat the pandemic-led downturn.