HONG KONG — China's industrial production expanded at the slowest pace in five months in August, while growth in retail sales and investment also slowed, putting Beijing's annual economic growth target of “around 5%” at risk.
According to data published by the National Bureau of Statistics on Saturday, industrial production increased by 4.5% compared to the previous year. That was the slowest increase since March and missed the consensus forecast for a 4.7% rise in a Bloomberg survey.