China’s Economy Expands at Slowest Pace in a Year

SINGAPORE—China said economic momentum decelerated to its slowest pace in a year, putting Beijing on alert in the midst of hardball trade negotiations with the U.S.

China said its gross domestic product expanded 4.8% in the third quarter of 2025 compared with a year earlier, down from 5.2% growth in the second quarter. Over the first nine months of the year, China’s economy expanded 5.2% from the year-earlier period, according to the National Bureau of Statistics. That means that Beijing is largely on track to hit its official target of around 5.0% growth for 2025.