At the ongoing 140th China Import and Export Fair (also known as the Canton Fair) in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, which will conclude on November 4, Leaw Cheeeyrn, a Malaysian buyer who's been paralyzed from the waist down for nearly five years, stood up and walked with the help of a Chinese-made exoskeleton robot. The devices from RoboCT Technology have been exported to several European and Southeast Asian countries.

The company is among a wave of Chinese hi-tech firms whose overseas sales have climbed in recent years.

This is part of a broader trend in which resilient growth drivers have continued to underpin the Chinese economy and bring opportunities to the world.

Data released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) on October 19 showed that China's GDP, a major gauge of a country's economy over a specific period of time, expanded 4.6 percent year on year to reach 107.11 trillion yuan ($15.94 trillion) during the January-September period.

GDP grew 4.5 percent year on year in the third quarter (Q3), higher than the second quarter's reading of 4.3 percent, according to the NBS, which also highlighted that new growth drivers, represented by high-end manufacturing, the digital and intelligent economy, as well as modern services, contributed more than 40 percent to China's economic growth in the first three quarters.

Throughout these nine months, the Chinese economy forged ahead against pressure and continued to shift toward innovation-driven, high-quality development, with growing positive changes in major indicators, the NBS said in a statement.

Growing resilience 

The GDP growth of 4.6 percent in the first three quarters is in line with the country's annual growth target of 4.5 to 5 percent, NBS deputy head Mao Shengyong told a press conference on October 19, noting that the economy expanded 5.7 trillion yuan ($850 billion) during the period, the largest increase for the same timeframe in the previous five years.

In other words, even at a slower growth rate, China was still adding more new output in the first three quarters of 2026 than it did in any comparable period in the previous five years, a point that matters for gauging the economy's absolute scale and its pull on global demand, not just its speed.

Total retail sales of goods and services rose 2.6 percent year on year, with service sales outpacing those of goods.

From the "China Haul" trend on international social media, where foreign visitors arrive in China with empty suitcases and leave with AI glasses, gimbals and Pop Mart toys, among other items, to the micro-drama experience boom that has tourists paying to act in scenes at Hengdian, China's largest film and television production base, the country's consumption landscape is showing new vitality.

In the first nine months, per-capita disposable income rose 5.3 percent nominally year on year. The surveyed urban unemployment rate averaged 5.2 percent in the first three quarters, unchanged from a year earlier.

Per-capita disposable income grew slightly faster than the GDP, indicating that consumer purchasing power is strengthening, Zhou Mi, a senior research fellow from the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation under the Ministry of Commerce, told a forum discussing the Q3 economic performance—hosted by China News Service on October 19.

Total fixed assets investment fell 7.2 percent year on year to 33.41 trillion yuan ($4.97 trillion), dragged down in part by a slump in real estate investment.

Wang Jiaqiang, a senior researcher with the Bank of China Research Institute, told the forum that new growth drivers, or economic sectors that are technology-intensive and high-value-added, are playing an increasingly larger role in propelling China's economic growth compared with major old engines like real estate and infrastructure investment.

Guo Liyan, deputy head of the Chinese Academy of Macroeconomic Research's Economic Research Institute, told the forum that one notable trend is the continued increase in investment in innovation, particularly in intellectual property (IP) products. By late 2026, the share of intangible assets is expected to reach one of its highest levels in recent years.

Sharing opportunities 

According to Mao, more foreign firms are embracing "China Opportunity 2.0," deepening their integration into China's industrial and innovation chains.

A major trading partner of 169 countries and regions, China saw its trade in goods rise 18.8 percent year on year to 39.94 trillion yuan ($5.98 trillion) in the first three quarters.

According to the General Administration of Customs, China's imports rose 22.3 percent in the first three quarters, with the growth rate exceeding 20 percent for seven straight months since March.

Exports of mechanical and electrical products climbed 23.7 percent and accounted for 64.3 percent of total exports, while intermediate goods, which are products used in the production of other goods or services, made up more than half.

As Wang highlighted, integrated circuit exports nearly doubled, driven in large part by investment in AI. Chips have become China's largest single export product category, surpassing computers.

Foreign-invested enterprises in China remained active players in the January-September period, with their imports and exports rising 19 percent to 11.69 trillion yuan ($1.75 trillion), a record high for the same period. Their hi-tech product exports jumped 42.1 percent in the first three quarters.

Looking ahead, trade is expected to maintain stable growth, supported by seasonal demand, technological innovation, expanding applications of AI products and continued trade consultations, Zhou said, adding that negotiations with major trading partners including the United States and the European Union will create a stable environment for trade in the fourth quarter.

Hard nuts to crack 

Guo noted that although the decline in manufacturing investment has narrowed, challenges remain in stabilizing investment in some key sectors, for which policy support should be better translated into concrete actions. She also urged to further unleash the vitality of private investment in areas such as AI-enabled emerging industries, such as smart device manufacturing and industrial robotics, new infrastructure and urban renewal.

Investment should be directed more toward addressing gaps in public services and people's wellbeing to create new growth drivers, Guo said.

China will roll out more effective measures to sustain steady economic recovery, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), the country's top economic planner, said on October 21. The measures include increasing the share of public services in government spending, strengthening inclusive policies that reach consumers directly, including consumption vouchers, child- and eldercare subsidies and tax deductions, and promoting the expansion and upgrading of goods consumption, including new-energy vehicles and smart products.

The NDRC also outlined plans to energize private investment by channeling it into major hydropower and water conservancy projects, and identified the optimization of computing power facility layouts and the renovation of aging reservoirs as additional investment priorities. BR

Copyedited by Elsbeth van Paridon 

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