SHANGHAI, July 17 (Reuters) - China stocks struggled for momentum on Wednesday, with major indexes trading in narrow ranges, as investors awaited policy news from a key leadership gathering in Beijing that is expected to end on Thursday.
Sentiment also remained low after data on Monday showed the world's second-largest economy grew much slower than expected in the second quarter as a protracted property downturn and worries over jobs knocked the wind out of a fragile recovery.
Market participants are also worried that China will figure heavily in Donald Trump's foreign policy thinking if he wins the U.S. presidential race.
His choice of J.D. Vance as his vice presidential running mate provides more evidence of what would be a tough U.S. stance on China in a second Trump administration, analysts said.
Vance, who shortly after his selection on Monday called China the "biggest threat" facing the United States, shares the Republican candidate's belief that China's rise as the world's factory ruined America's manufacturing sector.
With business and consumer sentiment near record lows, the Communist Party plenum will seek to inject confidence in the world's second largest economy.
However, conflicting goals such as boosting growth while cutting debt may mean little progress toward implementing change.
** At the midday break, the Shanghai Composite index was down 0.34% at 2,966.22.
** China's blue-chip CSI300 index was up 0.09%, with its financial sector sub-index up 0.84%, the consumer staples sector up 1.59%, the real estate index up 3.39% and the healthcare sub-index up 2.35%.
** Chinese H-shares listed in Hong Kong fell 0.2% to 6,303.62, while the Hang Seng Index was up 0.06% at 17,739.42.
** The smaller Shenzhen index was down 0.32%, the start-up board ChiNext Composite index was up 0.44% and Shanghai's tech-focused STAR50 index was unchanged.
** Around the region, MSCI's Asia ex-Japan stock index was 0.04% lower, while Japan's Nikkei index was down 0.26%. (Reporting by Shanghai Newsroom; Editing by Subhranshu Sahu)
