BEIJING, Oct 20, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - China's economic growth slipped below five percent in the third quarter of the year, official data showed Monday, matching forecasts but marking the slowest pace in a year.

The data comes as leaders in Beijing kick off a key meeting focused on long-term economic planning, with sluggish domestic consumption and a fierce trade war with the United States among the main challenges.

Gross domestic product in the July-September quarter expanded 4.8 percent year-on-year, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said, down from 5.2 percent in the previous quarter.

The figure was on par with an AFP forecast based on a survey of analysts.

The world's second-largest economy has failed to achieve a full rebound since the Covid-19 pandemic, which hammered consumer sentiment in the country.

In a further sign of weakness, the NBS said retail sales growth slid to three percent year-on-year in September, in line with estimates in a Bloomberg survey but down from August and the slowest rate since November.

In a bright spot, industrial production rose 6.5 percent last month, the NBS data showed, outperforming a Bloomberg forecast of five percent.

"The national economy withstood pressure and continued to maintain steady progress," the NBS said in a statement about the first three quarters of the year.