World battles slowdown, China's economy surges ahead

Even as most of the world is still struggling with massive economic slowdowns with the coronavirus pandemic, China seems to be proving that a fast economic rebound is possible when the virus is brought firmly under control.

The Chinese economy surged 4.9% in the July-to-September quarter compared with the same months last year. The robust growth brings China almost back up to the roughly 6% pace of growth that it was reporting before the pandemic.

The United States and other nations are expected to report a third-quarter surge too, but they are still behind or just catching up to pre-pandemic levels.

China’s lead could widen further in the months to come, say experts. It has almost no local transmission of the virus now, while the United States and Europe face another accelerating wave of cases.