OPINION: China Growth Beats Forecasts As AI-Linked Exports Surge

China’s economy grew faster than expected in the third quarter, helped by strong exports tied to the global artificial intelligence boom even as domestic demand remained weak.

Gross domestic product expanded 4.5 percent in the July-to-September period from a year earlier, according to figures released on Monday by the National Bureau of Statistics.

Zhiguo He, a finance professor at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business who studies China, said the economy remained on course to meet Beijing’s official targets but was still heavily dependent on exports.

“I expect Beijing is getting 4.5 percent as wanted,” He said. “A managed slow slowdown is the best Beijing can hope for,” he said.
“Real estate is still shrinking. This is what Beijing wanted and a good thing, and China’s households have been adapting their expectations based on this.”