BEIJING, Oc 19 — China's economy grew slightly more than expected in the third quarter, but today's figures still came in at the lower end of the government's full-year target, as the global energy shock and weak domestic demand countered surging exports.
The world's second-largest economy has charted a diverging path in recent years, with an AI-fuelled export boom masking the impact of a persistent real estate crisis and gloomy consumer sentiment.
Gross domestic product expanded 4.5 per cent in July-September, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).
The reading was an improvement on the previous quarter's 4.3 per cent expansion and just ahead of the 4.4 per cent predicted in an AFP poll of economists.
