China's economy remains resilient despite global stressors

China's economic growth picked up to 4.5 percent year-on-year in the third quarter from 4.3 percent in the previous quarter, the National Bureau of Statistics said on Monday, underscoring the resilience of the world's second-largest economy.

In the first three quarters, China's GDP grew 4.6 percent year-on-year to 107.11 trillion yuan ($15.94 trillion), the bureau said. On a quarter-on-quarter basis, GDP grew 1.2 percent in the third quarter.

The bureau noted that the economy continued to expand despite headwinds in the first three quarters, with new growth drivers gaining momentum and key indicators showing signs of improvement.

However, the external environment remains complex and volatile, while domestic demand is still insufficient, the NBS said, calling for stronger efforts to expand domestic demand and improve supply.

The country's industrial output expanded by 5.3 percent year-on-year in the first three quarters, official data showed. In September, growth picked up to 5.5 percent from 5.2 percent in August.

Retail sales increased by 1.1 percent year-on-year in September, up from 0.4 percent growth in August, the data showed. Growth stood at 1.1 percent in the first nine months.

Fixed-asset investment fell by 7.2 percent year-on-year in the first three quarters, matching the decline in the first eight months, according to the NBS.

The surveyed urban unemployment rate came in at 5.2 percent in September, down from 5.3 percent in August, according to the NBS.