"Some international institutions expect major economies to see slower growth in the second quarter, with the US economy projected to slow to 2.1 percent from 2.7 percent in the first quarter, Japan to 0.2 percent from 0.4 percent, and the eurozone to grow by around 0.5 percent. The IMF recently cut its forecast for global economic growth this year to 3.0 percent from 3.5 percent last year, while raising its forecast for China"s full-year growth by 0.2 percentage points," Mao said.

　　Yao Jingyuan, a special researcher at the Counselor"s Office of the State Council, told the Global Times on Wednesday that China"s GDP growth in the first half is "within expectations" as downward pressure on the economy has intensified.

　　"Some of the pressures stem from external shocks. For example, global oil prices have spiked over uncertainties in the Middle East, which has directly impacted relevant domestic industrial chains. The impact is not limited to China as countries worldwide have all been affected and are experiencing similar challenges," Yao said. He noted that the imbalance between China"s supply and demand side persisted in the first half, further weighing on the economy.

　　According to the NBS data, China"s value-added industrial output of above-scale enterprises in the first six months rose 5.4 percent compared to the same period in 2025, while fixed-asset investment dropped by 5.7 percent year-on-year.

　　China"s total retail sales of consumer goods expanded by 2.7 percent year-on-year in the first half, according to the NBS data.

　　Observers believed that the detailed first-half economic data provides important indicators on China"s economic resilience and new growth momentum.