The Chinese economy advanced 7.9 percent year-on-year in Q2 of 2021, slowing sharply from a record 18.3 percent growth in Q1 and missing market consensus of 8.1 percent. A slowdown in factory activity, higher raw material costs, and new COVID-19 outbreaks in some regions all weighed on the recovery momentum. During the first half of the year, the economy grew by 12.7 percent, amid a low base effect from last year's coronavirus-triggered slump. China has set an economic growth target of “above 6 percent” for 2021 after expanding the least in over four decades of 2.3% in 2020. Analysts generally believe the country is on track to meet the growth target for the year although the economy is expected to slow slightly in the second half of 2021 as consumers globally start to spend more on services, hitting China’s export sector. Still, upbeat retail sales for June suggest consumer spending in China remains resilient.