China’s fourth-quarter and full-year GDP: five things to watch

China’s National Bureau of Statistics will on Tuesday release what is likely to be its third consecutive disappointing estimate for quarterly expansion, as the world’s second-largest economy falls well short of the government’s annual growth target of 5.5 per cent — already the lowest mark in decades.

The Chinese economy narrowly avoided contraction in the second quarter, posting 0.4 per cent year-on-year growth, before expanding 3.9 per cent in the third quarter, in a release that was delayed during the Communist party congress where Xi Jinping secured a third term in power.