China’s ruling Communist Party Monday commences a key meeting to finalise a new five-year plan amid concerns over an economic slowdown driven by US trade tensions and a sweeping purge at the top of the military.

The Communist Party of China, headed by President Xi Jinping, began the three-day meeting of the plenary session, considered to be the most important in the current context of growing strategic competition with the US.

According to the data released Monday, China’s economy grew at 4.8 per cent, the slowest pace this year compared to the previous quarters.

The slowdown of the world’s second-largest economy was attributed to its growing trade conflict over the tariff war initiated by US President Donald Trump, blunting China’s exports to America, one of its major markets.

The dat

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