China’s economy grew by 4.6 percent in the July-to-September period from a year earlier, slowing slightly as a result of weak consumption.
The National Bureau of Statistics said on Friday the inflation-adjusted figure fell short of the government’s target of around five percent for this year for the second straight quarter. Growth in the previous quarter was 4.7 percent.
A major factor behind the slowdown was sluggish domestic demand. Private consumption remained weak as the slump in the real estate sector dragged on, and the job market stayed tight.
One bright spot was exports, which were up in September from a year earlier. It was the sixth consecutive month of year-on-year gains.
But the picture may not be so bright going forward. Both the US and Europe are moving to raise tariffs on Chinese imports, including electric vehicles.
Beijing has announced plans to prop up the economy.
In September, the central bank announced additional monetary easing measures, including interest-rate cuts. The government has also suggested there will be more stimulus measures to come.