Updated

Official figures show China's economic growth held steady in the most recent quarter, as the world's second-biggest economy continued to turn in its weakest performance since the global financial crisis.

Data released Friday in Beijing showed that the China's economy expanded 6.7 percent in the April-June period compared with the same period a year earlier.

It's the same rate of growth as the previous three-month period and the lowest since early 2009, when growth slumped to 6.2 percent amid the turmoil of the global crisis.

The latest numbers were in line with economists' expectations.

China's economy last year posted its slowest annual growth in a quarter century and it's expected to slow further this year.