China's economy shows further weakness as retail sales struggle

BEIJING, May 15 (AFP): China's economy showed further signs of weakness in April as the slowest growth in retail sales for 16 years highlighted the task leaders have in ramping up domestic demand at the same time as fighting a painful trade war with the US.

Authorities have for years been attempting to transition the world's number two economy from being reliant on state investment and exports to a more stable one driven by China's huge army of consumers, with the tariffs stand-off reinforcing the need for such a change.

But those consumers show signs of starting to pull back with clothes and car sales falling in April from the same period last year.

The latest figures on Wednesday show total retail sales expanded 7.2 per cent on-year last month, well off the 8.4 per cent tipped by economists in a Bloomberg News survey and a big drop from March.

The National Bureau of Statistics data represent the worst pace since 2003, at the height of the SARS crisis.

Growth in output at China's factories and workshops in April slowed sharply to 5.4 per cent on-year, down from 8.5 per cent in March, and below forecasts.

Fixed-asset investment during the January-April period rose 6.1 per cent, from 6.3 per cent in the first three months, with private-sector investment growth slowing to 5.5 per cent expansion in infrastructure investment steady from last month.

The readings fanned speculation authorities will unveil another round of pump-priming - having wound back on such stimulus in recent weeks following signs of a bounce in the economy - with Shanghai's composite index jumping almost two per cent Wednesday.

Beijing has rolled out huge tax cuts and other measures this year to ramp up the economy and offset the impact of a trade war that has seen the US impose tariffs on hundreds of billions of dollars worth of Chinese goods, causing worries for exporters.

The government lowered its growth target for the year to 6.0-6.5 per cent, while growth in the first quarter stabilised at 6.4 per cent after decelerating every quarter last year.