新闻来源：www.abcnews.go.com
原文地址：China’s economy softens in August as Beijing continues to grapple with lagging demand
新闻日期：2024-09-14
中国经济在八月放缓，工业生产和房价延续了七月的下跌趋势。国家统计局周六发布的数据显示，本月相比上月，这些指标均有所减弱。
刘爱华，该局首席经济学家，在新闻发布会上表示：“我们应注意到由外部环境变化带来的不良影响正在增加。”
国内需求仍显不足，经济持续复苏面临多种困难和挑战。这是中国疫情后经济恢复迟缓的表现之一。为提振因疫情而受阻的经济，中国领导人加大了对制造业的投资。
北京也承受着实施大规模刺激措施以促进经济增长的压力。根据国家统计局的数据，在八月相比去年同期，工业生产增长4.5%，低于七月的5.1%。
零售销售同比增长2.1%，低于上个月的2.7%。从一月到八月，固定资产投资增长3.4%，低于前七个月的3.6%。与此同时，房地产投资从一月到八月同比下降10.2%。
此外，最新数据显示，在八月相比去年同期，进口增长仅0.5%。消费价格指数(CPI)上涨0.6%，低于预期。官方称CPI的上涨主要归因于恶劣天气导致的食品价格上涨。但核心CPI（排除食品和能源价格），在八月同比仅上涨0.3%，这是三年来的最慢速度。
原文摘要：
China’s economy softened in August, extending a slowdown in industrial activity and real estate prices as Beijing faces pressure to ramp up spending to stimulate demand.
Data published by the National Bureau of Statistics Saturday showed weakening activity across industrial production, retail sales and real estate this month compared to July.
“We should be aware that the adverse impacts arising from the changes in the external environment are increasing,” said Liu Aihua, the bureau’s chief economist in a news conference.
Liu said that demand remained insufficient at home, and the sustained economic recovery still confronts multiple difficulties and challenges.
China has been grappling with a lagging economy post-COVID, with weak consumer demand, persistent deflationary pressures and a contraction in factory activity.
Chinese leaders have ramped up investment in manufacturing to rev up an economy that stalled during the pandemic and is still growing slower than hoped.
Beijing also has to deal with increasing pressure to implement large-scale stimulus measures to boost economic growth.
While industrial production rose by 4.5% in August compared to a year ago, it declined from July’s 5.1% growth, according to the bureau’s data released.
Retail sales grew 2.1% from the same time last year, slower than the 2.7% increase last month.
Fixed asset investment rose by 3.4% from January to August, down from 3.6% in the first seven months.
Meanwhile, investment in real estate declined by 10.2% from January to August, compared to last year.
The figures released Saturday come after trade data for August saw imports grow just 0.5% compared to a year ago.
The consumer price index rose 0.6% in August, missing forecasts according to data released Monday. Officials attributed the higher CPI to an increase in food prices due to bad weather.
But the core CPI, which excludes food and energy prices, rose by just 0.3% in August, the slowest in over three years.
