BEIJING (Reuters) - China's retail sales are expected to have grown 8.2% in the first half of 2019 from a year earlier, a commerce ministry official said on Tuesday.
Chinese retail sales have slowed in recent years, with growth hitting a 16-year low earlier this year due to increased consumer caution amid a trade war with the United States.
Apart from May's surprise slowdown to 7.2%, monthly retail sales growth stayed above 8% in the first half of 2019.