|
BEIJING, July 3-- China's economy, though facing headwinds, showed steady growth signalling high quality development in the first half of 2019, as the country's economic structure continued to optimize. "China's economy has remained basically stable and is performing within a reasonable range in the first half of the year," Premier Li Keqiang said Tuesday when addressing the opening ceremony of the Annual Meeting of the New Champions 2019, also known as the Summer Davos Forum, in the city of Dalian. The economic development has stayed stable and sound, and major indicators have met expectations, Li added. "China's economic growth has so far remained resilient in the face of high global uncertainty," World Bank said in its latest China Economic Update. DEMAND OPTIMIZATION ONWARD In the first five months of 2019, China's foreign trade of goods rose 4.1 percent year on year to reach 12.1 trillion yuan (1.8 trillion U.S. dollars), customs data showed, reporting strong resilience and more balanced structure. Of the total, foreign trade with countries along the Belt and Road increased by 9 percent to account for 28.8 percent, while foreign trade with the EU, ASEAN, Russia and Brazil saw growth of 11.7 percent, 9.4 percent, 10 percent and 11.2 percent respectively. At the same time, investments in high-tech manufacturing and technological transformation are becoming an important driving force for the growth of manufacturing investment. | 
