Headwinds may buffet economic growth

Economic growth may encounter greater resistance in the second half of the year underscored by lackluster factory production, economists said on Tuesday.

They were speaking after the National Bureau of Statistics reported a moderate increase in consumer inflation and persistent decline in factory-gate prices in June.

The consumer price index, a main gauge of inflation, rose by 2.7 percent year-on-year compared with a 2.1 percent increase in May. Food prices increased by 4.9 percent in June, remaining the major driving force of inflation.