Economists said China must shift towards sustainable growth driven more by domestic consumption than construction, property development and exports. (EPA Images pic)BEIJING: China's economic growth is expected to again miss its official target on Monday, dragged down by a global energy shock and slumping domestic demand, with surging exports the only bright spot.

The world's second-largest economy has charted a diverging path in recent years – an AI-fuelled export boom is masking the impact of a persistent real estate crisis and gloomy consumer sentiment.

Beijing is hoping for an annual growth this year of 4.5% to 5%, its lowest goal in decades.

But an AFP poll of economists suggests growth fell just below that range from July to September at 4.4% – still a slight improvement from the second quarter's 4.3%.