Government-backed spending on construction projects helped China’s economy grow at a rapid pace in the third quarter.
(Eugene Hoshiko/Associated Press)
China’s economy grows at 8.9% pace
Government-backed spending on construction projects helped China’s economy grow at a rapid pace in the third quarter.
(Eugene Hoshiko/Associated Press)
SHANGHAI - Lavish government spending and bank lending helped China’s growth rate accelerate to an 8.9 percent pace in the third quarter, far outstripping expansions elsewhere around the globe and raising questions about whether the rapid rebound can be sustained.
China also said yesterday that industrial production and investment spending are growing at a faster pace. That seemingly good news unsettled local stock investors, however, on fears Beijing may need to rein in its stimulus policies to avoid asset bubbles and inflation.
Companies, central bankers, and political leaders around the world are increasingly counting on growing demand from Chinese producers and consumers to offset sluggish home markets. Corporations from Coke to Caterpillar are seeing their strongest sales in Asia. So far, the growth is coming mostly from government-backed spending on construction and other projects, but demand from China’s consumers is also rising. The world’s third-largest economy began to falter in late 2008 as exports plunged and thousands of factories shut down. China fought back with a $586 billion stimulus plan involving massive spending and bank lending for construction of infrastructure.
Growth fell to a low of 6.1 percent in the first quarter, but rebounded to 7.9 percent in the second quarter, hitting 8.9 percent in the third quarter compared with a year earlier. That puts the economy on track to at least meet the official target of an 8 percent expansion for 2009.
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