China's industrial profits fall further in June

BEIJING, July 27 (Reuters): China's industrial profits continued to fall in June, data showed on Sunday, as entrenched producer deflation put more margin pressure on businesses in the face of subdued domestic demand and lingering global trade uncertainty.
China's economy slowed less than expected in the second quarter in a show of resilience to U.S. tariffs. But punishing price wars among producers have prompted Beijing to pledge tougher regulations for autos and solar panels, among other industries engaged in cutthroat competition.
Profits at China's industrial firms fell 4.3% in June from a year earlier, following a decline of 9.1% in May, while first-half profits were down 1.8% versus a slide of 1.1% in the period from January to May, National Bureau of Statistics data showed.
As China faces a complex and changing external environment, it must deepen the formation of a "unified national market, expand and strengthen domestic circulation and promote high-quality development of the industrial economy", said Yu Weining, a statistician at the bureau.