China Q3 Growth Slows to 4.8% Amid Export Boom

China’s economy slowed in Q3 to 4.8% year‑on‑year—the weakest pace in a year and down from 5.2% in Q2—with quarter‑on‑quarter growth of about 1.1%, roughly in line with expectations. The slowdown reflects a prolonged property slump, plunging investment and weak retail sales, even as resilient industrial output and a rebound in exports supported activity; Standard Chartered estimates net exports added about 1.2 percentage points. Mounting U.S.–China trade tensions—including threats of much higher U.S. tariffs and Beijing’s rare‑earth moves—heighten risks and are prompting exporters to seek new markets. Chinese leaders are convening key meetings (the fourth plenum/Politburo and work on the 15th Five‑Year Plan) ahead of December’s Central Economic Work Conference to consider stimulus and policies to shore up livelihoods, though analysts are divided on whether more easing will follow this year. Markets and investors will watch policy signals and any potential bilateral diplomacy, including a possible Xi–Trump meeting, while many economists say deeper structural reforms toward domestic consumption are needed to make growth sustainable.