China's economy grew 8.1 percent in the third quarter compared to last year, defying a global slowdown. Officials at the National Bureau of Statistics say exports rose 19.4 percent in the first nine months of this year to $232.6 billion, while imports rose 17.2 percent.
The Wall Street Journal says Asian countries are turning China into a global "factory floor." In the first eight months, South Korea's exports to China rose by 42 percent, Malaysia's by 38 percent and Singapore's by 31 percent.