Beating

GDP growth picks up from Q2 amid AI-driven boom in exports.

China’s economy has grown faster than expected in the most recent quarter amid booming exports underpinned by artificial intelligence, according to official figures.

China’s gross domestic product (GDP) expanded 4.5 percent in the July-September period from the same quarter a year earlier, picking up from 4.3 percent growth in the second quarter and beating most analysts’ forecasts, figures released on Monday by the National Bureau of Statistics showed.

During the first nine months of the year, GDP grew 4.6 percent year-on-year, according to the preliminary figures.

While China’s technology-related exports have surged during the AI boom, growth in the world’s second-largest economy has been dampened by weak domestic demand and a sagging property market.

China’s ruling Communist Party has set a GDP growth target of 4.5 to 5 percent for 2026, which would be among the slowest expansions in decades, excluding during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Chinese exports surged more than 16 percent in the first three quarters of the year to reach 23.19 billion yuan ($3.47bn), according to the official data, largely due to strong demand for semiconductors and other tech-related goods.

Retail sales, a key measure of domestic consumption, increased 1.1 percent year-on-year in September and 2.6 percent during the first nine months of 2026.

Industrial production, which measures output in sectors such as manufacturing and mining, rose 5.5 percent in September, taking growth in the first three quarters to 5.3 percent.

Investment in fixed assets, which covers spending on real estate, factories and machinery, edged up 0.7 percent last month but contracted 7.2 percent during the January-September period.

Zhiguo He, a finance professor at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business who studies the Chinese economy, said that while China’s economy is on track to hit official targets, Beijing will be wary of the continuing reliance on export-driven growth.

“I expect Beijing is getting 4.5 percent as wanted,” He told Al Jazeera.

“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.”

A team of paramedics battled to save a man’s life on 999: On the Frontline tonight, after his heart stopped beating twice, resulting in him requiring CPR

A 67-year-old man saved by paramedics after his heart stopped twice has appeared in the Channel 4 series 999: On the Front Line.

The incident was caught on camera for a new episode of 999: On the Front Line, which aired on Sunday (October 11) evening. South Western Ambulance Service paramedic Lloyd and colleague Charlie were called to an address in Bristol after a carer reported a man experiencing breathing difficulties.

“He’s not breathing,” the woman told the 999 operator, “He was struggling to breathe, and then he just started gasping for breath”. At that point, the operator instructed the caller on how to give the man chest compressions, as CPR was needed, while paramedics raced to the scene.

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The 67-year-old man named Roy, who is paralysed from a car accident 25 years ago, stopped breathing when the medics arrived.

Lloyd told the camera, “When we first saw Roy, it didn’t look good; he was not breathing, and as soon as we were at his side, we could tell he didn’t have a pulse, which told us, essentially, he is clinically dead.”

A second team of paramedics joined Charlie and Lloyd, and the team managed to successfully restart Roy’s heart as they all battled to keep him stable.

“It’s really important we act fast because every minute that passes, Roy’s chances of survival drop drastically,” Charlie said.

At one point, Roy managed to open his eyes as the ambulance crews were also joined by a doctor and a critical care medic from Great Western Air, who also arrived at the scene.

The team successfully removed Roy from his flat and safely into an ambulance. However, he soon lost consciousness once more as paramedics tried to save his life.

“For the second time tonight, the team gets Roy’s heart beating once again,” the show narrator told viewers while Roy was rushed into the hospital.

Roy made a full recovery after a blockage in his airway ultimately sent him into cardiac arrest. He spent 11 days in the hospital. I would like to say to everyone in involved in the whole process a very big thank you and well done to everyone.”

999 On The Front Line airs on More4 on Sundays at 9:00 PM, with past and current episodes available to stream on-demand via Channel 4