Beijing — China is still confident of hitting its economic growth target of about 6.5% this year despite views that it faces a bumpy second half as a trade row with the US intensifies, the state planning agency said on Tuesday. The remarks came a day after China reported slightly slower growth for the second quarter, and the weakest expansion in factory activity in June in two years, suggesting a further softening in business conditions in coming months as trade pressures build. Even after Monday’s weaker data and the latest US tariffs, most economists predict Beijing is still likely to come in near its official gross domestic product (GDP) growth target this year, though some China watchers believe activity levels are already much weaker than official data suggest. Yan Pengcheng, spokesman for the National Development and Reform Commission, told a news conference that China had ample policy room to deal with any shocks. "Overall, we have the confidence, conditions, and enough capab...
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