China's economic growth slowed in the second quarter, official data showed Thursday, with consumers still hesitant to splurge and firms grappling with the increased cost of raw materials. The world's second-largest economy has staged a rapid recovery from last year's slump caused by the coronavirus pandemic, but its pace is losing steam with manufacturing slowing and consumer demand not picking up as quickly as expected. China's growth in gross domestic product came in at 7.9 percent on-year in the April to June period, said the National Bureau of Statistics -- a significant drop from the 18.3 percent surge in the first three months. STOCKSHOTS of China's agricultural and industrial construction