China's GDP growth reached 6.8% year-on-year in the first half of this year, beating general market expectations, according to official data released last Monday.

根据上周一公布的官方数据显示，今年上半年，我国国内生产总值（GDP）同比增长6.8%，普遍超出市场预期。

Growth in the second quarter was 6.7%, compared with 6.8% in the first quarter, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

国家统计局发布的这一数据显示，一季度GDP同比增长6.8%，二季度增长6.7%。

Retail¹ sales increased by 9.4% year-on-year in the first half of this year, 0.4 percentage points lower than the first quarter.

上半年，社会消费品零售总额同比增长9.4%，增速比一季度回落0.4个百分点。

The industrial output posted steady growth in the first six months, up by 6.7% year-on-year, 0.1 percentage point lower than the first quarter, the data showed.

该数据显示，上半年，全国规模以上工业增加值稳定增长，同比增长6.7%，增速比一季度回落0.1个百分点。

Fixed-asset investment growth was 6% in the first half of this year, 1.5 percentage points lower than the first quarter.

上半年，全国固定资产投资同比增长6.0%，增速比一季度回落1.5个百分点。

Bureau spokesman Mao Shengyong said the data showed that the country's economic growth remained stable.

国家统计局新闻发言人毛盛勇表示，数据显示国民经济延续总体平稳、稳中向好的发展态势。