Chinese economic data released Tuesday suggest a nation that has long relied on exports is getting more help from domestic demand─a potential positive for the global economy as Europe grapples with its debt crisis and U.S. growth sputters.

　　周二公布的中國經濟數據顯示，這個長期以來依靠出口的國家開始更多地受到國內需求的推動。在歐洲忙于應對債務危機、美國增長低迷之際，這對全球經濟可能是個利好因素。

　　Chinese data Tuesday, which showed third-quarter gross domestic product up 9.1% from a year earlier after 9.5% growth in the second quarter, came in slightly below analyst expectations of 9.2% growth and raised some concern in markets. Still, the growth rate was generally welcomed by economists who saw it as evidence that China can guide its economy to a soft landing as it tries to quell inflation without seriously hurting growth.

　　中國周二公布的數據顯示，三季度國內生產總值(GDP)同比增長9.1%，而二季度增長率為9.5%。新出爐的數據略低于分析人士預期的9.2%，引發了市場一定程度的擔憂。盡管如此，這樣的增長率仍受到了經濟學家的普遍歡迎，他們將此視為中國在努力遏制通貨膨脹、同時有能力在不嚴重損害增長的情況下引導經濟實現軟著陸的證據。

　　It also offered a sign that China's domestic demand is partially making up for softening appetite for China's exports. That could leave China in a better position to weather moderate drops in exports, which have hit its economy hard in the past. It could also mean that China will remain a crucial support for global growth, as its rising consumption feeds demand for raw materials and other goods from around the world.

　　相關報道這也表明，中國出口需求的不斷下滑已經部分地在國內需求上得到彌補。這可能使中國能夠更好地應對出口的小幅下滑。過去，出口下滑曾給中國經濟增長造成重大影響。同時，這也可能意味著隨著中國不斷增加的消費推動對全球原材料和其他商品的需求，中國將依然是全球經濟增長的一個重要支撐。

　　China's respectable growth so far this year has come despite a deteriorating environment for its exports. Over the first three quarters, net exports actually reduced the economic growth rate by 0.1 percentage point, National Bureau of Statistics Shen Laiyun said on the sidelines of a press briefing on Tuesday.

　　盡管中國出口行業面臨的環境不斷惡化，今年以來中國卻實現了相當可觀的增長。中國國家統計局新聞發言人盛來運周二在新聞發布會間隙說，今年前三季度，凈出口實際上給經濟增長率帶來了0.1個百分點的損失。

　　“So far this year, especially in the third quarter, growth in China's imports of goods and services has exceeded export growth,” he said. “This shows that the contribution to the global recovery from China's economy is growing.”

　　盛來運稱，今年以來，尤其在三季度，中國貨物進口的增長速度要大于出口的增長速度。這表明中國經濟對世界的復蘇做出的貢獻在繼續增加。

　　China's status as the world's top exporter has long been both a strength and an occasional source of weakness. China's economic growth dipped below 7% in the fourth quarter of 2008 and the first quarter of 2009, during the worst of the global financial crisis, sparking worries in a country where growth of 8% or more is generally considered necessary to insure stability among the nation's rapidly urbanizing population.

　　中國是全球第一大出口國，這種地位一直以來既是優勢，有時也是劣勢。2008年四季度和2009年一季度，在全球金融危機最嚴重的時期，中國經濟增長率下降至7%以下，引發了國內的擔憂。在中國，人們一般認為若要確保中國迅速城市化的人口保持穩定，必須要達到8%或更高的增長率。

　　Since then, China's policy makers have renewed efforts to promote domestic consumption and have made progress in rebalancing the economy away from exports. The country's current-account surplus─a broad measure of its trade balance favored by economists─was just 2.8% of GDP in the first half of 2011, compared to more than 10% in 2007.

　　此后，中國決策者重新開始努力促進內需，并且在調整經濟結構、減少對出口依賴方面取得了一定的進展。2011年上半年，中國經常項目盈余只相當于GDP的2.8%，而2007年這一數字在10%以上。經常項目盈余是經濟學家用來衡量中國貿易差額的一個寬泛衡量指標。

　　“Even if Western economies slip into a renewed recession, the impact on China's growth should be much smaller than three years ago. China has been much less dependent on external demand,” HSBC economist Qu Hongbing.

　　Reuters溫州一個工地的工人在搬運磚塊。中國第三季度經濟增速略微放緩至9.1%。匯豐(HSBC)的經濟學家屈宏斌說，就算西方經濟體滑入新一輪的衰退，對中國增長的影響應該也比三年前小很多。中國經濟增長對出口的依賴度相比三年前已大幅下降。

　　Other indicators on Tuesday signaled positive momentum. China's retail sales in September rose 17.7% from a year earlier, compared with a 17% rise in August. Industrial output growth accelerated unexpectedly in September, up 13.8% from a year earlier, exceeding both August's 13.5% and the 13.3% expected by economists.

　　周二公布的其它經濟指標說明經濟增長出現積極勢頭：9月份零售銷售額同比上升17.7%，8月份的同比升幅為17%。9月份工業增加值意外加速上升，同比升幅達13.8%，高于8月份13.5%的水平以及經濟學家給出的13.3%的預期。

　　“The pickup in industrial production and retail sales are surprising, and reinforce our view that Chna's growth is increasingly driven by domestic demand, which remains strong,” said Zhiwei Zhang, an economist at Nomura, in a note.

　　野村證券（Nomura）經濟學家張智威在一份研究報告中寫道，工業增加值和零售銷售額的上升出乎意料，這也強化了我們的觀點，即中國經濟增長日益受到國內需求的推動，而國內需求依然強勁。

　　Still, other indicators suggest potential weakness. HSBC Holdings PLC's purchasing managers index─which measures manufacturing activity and is weighted toward the key small- and medium-sized business sector─showed a third straight month of contraction in September, reflecting pressures among the nation's smaller, privately owned businesses, which have suffered amid tightening credit. An official PMI reading, which is weighted toward major state-owned enterprises, has shown expansion.

　　盡管如此，其它一些經濟指標卻預示著中國經濟可能存在弱點。匯豐控股有限公司（HSBC Holdings PLC，簡稱：匯豐）編制的中國采購經理人指數在9月份連續第三個月收縮，這反映了中國中小民營企業面臨的壓力。信貸緊縮令中小企業苦苦掙扎。而官方發布的中國制造業采購經理指數（PMI）則顯示經濟正在擴張。匯豐的采購經理人指數主要衡量制造業的情況，側重于重要的中小企業。而官方編制的PMI側重于大型國有企業。

　　To be sure, China is not immune to global ills. In the event of a deep global recession, it is far from clear that any uptick in domestic demand would be enough to overcome a prolonged slump in exports.

　　誠然，全球經濟出現問題，中國也難以幸免。如果全球經濟出現嚴重衰退，那么國內需求的增長是否足以抵消出口長期低迷所導致的負面影響，目前還難以看清。

　　“China's Q3 data confirmed that growth was stable last quarter, but with both exports and real-estate construction likely to slow, a more difficult period lies ahead,” said Mark Williams, an economist with research firm Capital Economics, in a note.

　　研究機構凱投宏觀（Capital Economics）的經濟學家威廉姆斯（Mark Williams）在一份研究報告中寫道，中國第三季度的經濟數據證實，這一季度的經濟增長是穩定的，但由于出口和房地產建設預計會放緩，未來的經濟形勢可能更加嚴峻。

　　Mr. Williams says his firm's calculation of China's growth, which uses a measure including such factors as freight traffic and electricity production, suggest third-quarter growth of around 8.4% on an annualized basis. “But the pattern of broadly stable growth over the past couple of quarters is the same,” he said.

　　威廉姆斯說，據凱投宏觀計算，中國經濟今年第三季度的增速折合成年率大約為8.4%。該公司在計算中國經濟增速時參考了貨物運輸量和發電量等指標。他又說，中國經濟保持了過去幾個季度以來的穩定增長態勢。

　　The results divided economists trying to divine whether Beijing will loosen fiscal constraints to spur faster growth or whether it is comfortable to current levels and will stand pat. Mr. Williams from Capital Economics said the central bank is likely to loosen credit controls by the end of the year, and may also cut the level of required reserves in the banking system.

　　第三季度的經濟數據令經濟學家產生了分歧。這些經濟學家正試圖預測：北京究竟是會放松財政約束以促進經濟更快增長，還是會因對目前增長水平感到滿意而將繼續按兵不動。威廉姆斯認為，到年底前央行可能放松信貸控制，也可能會降低銀行存款準備金率。

　　But Mr. Zhang, of Nomura, said China's central bank “is likely to keep policy on hold for the rest of 2011 and observe closely how the current global economic slowdown and financial market turmoil affects the domestic economy.”

　　但野村證券的張智威則認為，中國央行在2011年剩下的時間里可能將維持現行政策不變，并將密切觀察當前全球經濟增長放緩和金融市場動蕩會如何影響國內經濟。

　　The results came as investors worried about continuing debt problems in Europe and reacted to a Monday sell-off in the U.S. Asian markets ended broadly lower on Tuesday, with Hong Kong's main benchmark index falling 4.2% and Shanghai's falling 2.3%. The yuan also fell against the U.S. dollar in the Chinese over-the-counter markets as well as in Hong Kong.

　　這批經濟數據公布之時，正值投資者擔憂歐洲債務問題繼續惡化并對周一美國股市的拋售做出反應之際。周二收盤時亞洲股市全面走低，香港主要基準股指跌4.2%，滬指跌2.3%。人民幣對美元匯率在中國場外交易市場和香港市場雙雙下跌。