CHINESE ECONOMY POSTS 11.5% THIRD QUARTER GROWTH

From USA Today:

China's sizzling economy registered more double-digit growth in the third quarter, but the expansion slowed slightly amid efforts to avert overheating, the government said Thursday.

Economists said the peak of the latest boom may have passed.

The 11.5% annual growth rate in economic output for the July-September period kept China on track to surpass Germany as the world's third-largest economy by early 2008.

The figure, a decline from the 11.9% rate reported for the previous quarter, suggests China's expansion has peaked, economists said. They said growth is expected to slow further, but still stay above 10% next year.

Also in September, inflation eased slightly, with consumer prices up 6.2% over the same month last year, down from an 11-year high of 6.5% in August, the government said.

Authorities have blamed a recent spike in inflation on a shortage of food items, especially pork. They say it should ease as government efforts to encourage farmers to raise more pigs take effect.