First-half growth decelerates in Beijing, Shanghai

China's biggest cities recorded slower economic expansion in the first half, but many municipal officials are sounding a confident note, saying that structural changes are laying a solid foundation for future growth.

GDP growth in Shanghai, the nation's largest city and financial hub, slowed 0.6 percentage point year-on-year to 7.1 percent, the city's statistics bureau said on Friday.

Beijing's GDP growth also slowed to 7.2 percent in the first half from 7.7 percent a year earlier. But the traditional services center of the nation said activity in this sector kept growing, especially high-end services.