Eastern growth gains, western areas decelerate

Slowest growth was in Shanghai and Beijing

Provincial economies' GDP growth rates beat the national average of 7.6 percent in the first half, but the most significant development at the local level was a divergence between the eastern and western regions.

Many eastern regions achieved expansion at the same pace as last year, or even faster, while central and western regions, which grew much faster than their eastern counterparts in recent years, saw a year-on-year deceleration.