China's second quarter gross domestic product growth was 4.3%, which was down from 5% the previous quarter. That was the lowest rate of quarterly growth in roughly 4 years. The slowdown was due in large part to an accelerating slide in investments. Urban fixed-asset investment (which has been a major driver of economic growth in China that includes big items like real estate development and infrastructure projects) plunged 5.7% in the first 6 months compared with the prior year. This is the third straight month and 7 out of the last 9 that year-on-year fixed-asset investment has declined.
Source: National Bureau of Statistics, LSEG data, CNBC, as of August 5, 2026.