Bolstered by dynamic new growth drivers, the Chinese economy has demonstrated significant resilience and vitality despite increasing headwinds as it enters the final quarter of 2025, staying on track to achieve its full-year development goals.

A set of key indicators released Friday by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) reflected continued economic momentum. The country's industrial output for the first 10 months posted a steady 6.1 percent year-on-year increase, with the services production index up 5.7 percent.

Retail sales of consumer goods grew 4.3 percent from a year earlier in the same period, showing an acceleration from the growth rate in 2024. Even while grappling with global trade protectionism, total imports and exports still expanded by a resilient 3.6 percent in the Jan.-Oct. period. In October, the urban surveyed unemployment rate fell for a second consecutive month to 5.1 percent, and the consumer price index reversed a previous decline to rise 0.2 percent.

"The national economy saw stable performance overall, with transformation and upgrading progressing solidly and new growth drivers continuing to strengthen," NBS spokesperson Fu Linghui told a press conference Friday.

Fu highlighted that new momentum generated from robust digital and platform economy, rapidly growing emerging sectors, and brisk industrial upgrades provided strong support for the economy.

Friday's data showed AI-driven digital and intelligent manufacturing injected fresh vitality into the economy, as the value-added output from digital industry manufacturing jumped 9.5 percent compared with a year ago in the first 10 months, with the smart device manufacturing up 11.1 percent and the manufacturing of electronic components and devices up 12.3 percent.

This technological shift also reshaped consumption, featuring vibrant demand for smart appliances and new energy vehicles. Online retail sales accounted for 25.2 percent of all consumer goods sales in the Jan.-Oct. period, up 0.2 percentage points from the first nine months.

Investment in high-tech sectors also saw a massive surge. Capital expenditure in information services soared 32.7 percent in the first 10 months, while investment in aerospace manufacturing climbed 19.7 percent.

Experts noted these bright spots are particularly significant given the challenging backdrop.

Kuang Xianming, vice president of the China Institute for Reform and Development, said the economy has demonstrated a solid foundation and resilience in the face of multifaceted macroeconomic pressures, pointing to the 5.2 percent economic growth in the first three quarters.

To consolidate the upward trend, the government has ramped up policy support for the economy since the start of the fourth quarter, with measures to vigorously expand consumption, stimulate private investment, and tackle rat race competition.

Notably, the central government has deployed 500 billion yuan (about 70.6 billion U.S. dollars) through a new policy-based financial instrument, which targets over 2,300 projects and is expected to leverage a total investment of 7 trillion yuan across a wide range of sectors, including the digital economy, AI, consumption, and urban renewal.

Local authorities have also coordinated their efforts. Central China's Hunan Province is rolling out 100 million yuan in consumption vouchers for three months starting October, focusing on dining, fuel, and domestic home services.

Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in southern China broke ground on seven major transportation infrastructure projects valued at over 71 billion yuan, spanning waterways and expressways. East China's Shanghai Municipality added seven new onshore wind and solar projects to its 2025 energy development plan, which will add 139.07 megawatts of new capacity.

In light of the intensified efforts, analysts are becoming increasingly confident. "Achieving the annual economic growth target of around 5 percent is without worry," Lu Zhengwei, chief economist at Industrial Bank, citing resilient exports, strong high-tech services, and a steady manufacturing sector.

This guarded optimism is also being shared abroad. Stressing stronger fiscal support, Deutsche Bank recently raised its 2025 growth forecast for China to 5 percent. Goldman Sachs also significantly lifted its 2026 and 2027 China GDP forecasts to 4.8 percent and 4.7 percent, respectively.

"Looking at the overall picture, our economy is on solid foundations, demonstrating advantages in many areas, strong resilience, and great potential," Fu said at the press conference, noting that there are many supporting factors for economic development.

He called for efforts to expand domestic demand, keep employment, businesses, markets and expectations stable, effectively implement macroeconomic policies, and strengthen innovation-driven development in a bid to promote improvements in both the quality and quantity of the economy.

According to China's long-term development blueprint, its per capita GDP should be on par with that of a mid-level developed country by 2035.

Achieving this goal would require the country to maintain reasonable economic growth over the next decade while improving the quality and efficiency of its development, said Han Wenxiu, executive deputy director of the Office of the Central Committee for Financial and Economic Affairs.