(17 Jan 2020) China's economic growth sank to a new multi-decade low in 2019 as Beijing fought a tariff war with Washington.
The world's second-largest economy grew by 6.1%, down from 6.6% in 2018, already the lowest since 1990, government data showed on Friday.
Chinese exporters have been battered by US President Donald Trump's tariff hikes, but a bigger blow to the economy came from weakness in consumption.
Households, spooked by the trade war and job losses, put off big purchases.
Auto sales fell for the second year in 2019, tumbling 9.6%.
Growth in retail spending decelerated to 8% over a year earlier, down from 8.2% in the first nine months of the year.
The trade war adds to pressure on Chinese leaders struggling to shore up growth and rein in surging food costs after a disease outbreak that slashed supplies of pork, the country's staple meat, and sent prices soaring.
"The global economic and trade growth is slowing down, the instability sources and risk points are increasing, the structural systematic and cyclical problems at home are intertwined and the economy is facing with mounting downward pressure," said Ning Jizhe, director of China's National Statistics Bureau on Friday.
Growth in the three months ending in December held steady at the previous quarter's level of 6% over a year earlier.
Business sentiment received a boost from Wednesday's signing of an interim deal in the costly war over Beijing's technology ambitions and trade surplus.
The Trump administration agreed to cancel planned tariff hikes on additional Chinese imports and Beijing promised to buy more American farm goods, though punitive duties already imposed by both sides stayed in place.
The 2019 economic growth came in at the low end of the ruling party's official target of 6% to 6.5%.
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