China: The Xi Dynasty's Debt Extravaganza

China's real GDP rose 6.9% y/y during Q2. During the quarter, it rose 6.7% (saar), which it's been hovering around since the end of 2013. That's a slowdown from the 10%-plus pace that was the norm in the years prior to the global financial crisis of 2008 and for a couple of years afterwards. Nevertheless, China's growth rate is impressive compared to those in most other countries in the world. Even more impressive is how much credit it is taking to prop up China's growth. Of course, this isn't impressive in a positive way, since economic growth financed by excessive debt often ends badly.