West leads others in growth stakes

A handful western and central provinces led China's economic uptick in the second quarter of the year, while the "rust belt" region still lagged in economic expansion.

All the 31 regional governments in the Chinese mainland have released their GDP data for the first six months of 2015. Among them, 27 regions posted faster growth in the first half compared with the first quarter while two provinces (Anhui and Shandong) saw flat growth over the first quarter, China Daily's compilation of each region's statistics bureau data showed.

The growth "star" was the southwestern metropolis Chongqing, which led the nation with an 11 percent growth, followed by Guizhou province with 10.7 percent growth. Central provinces also performed strongly, taking up 4 of the top 10 fastest-growing regions nationwide.