BEIJING (Reuters) – China’s factory output and retail sales missed expectations in August, keeping alive calls for further stimulus to shore up growth in the world’s second-largest economy, which faces weak consumption and external risks.

Industrial output grew 5.2% year-on-year, National Bureau of Statistics data showed on Monday, slowing from the 5.7% increase the previous month and missing forecasts of 5.7% growth in a Reuters poll.

Retail sales, a gauge of consumption, expanded 3.4% in August after rising 3.7% in July, missing forecasts of 3.9% growth.

Authorities are relying on manufacturers to tap new markets to offset U.S. President Donald Trump’s erratic trade policy and depressed domestic demand, in a bid to meet Beijing’s annual growth target of “around 5%”.

The Chinese econo

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