China’s economy shows sparks of life, despite persisting weakness in troubled real estate sector

BEIJING (AP) — China has reported its economic growth showed more signs of rekindling in October as retail sales and factory output picked up even though the property sector remained sluggish. The government said factory output rose 4.6% from a year earlier in October, while retail sales jumped 7.6%. But real estate investment sank 9.3%. Officials acknowledged that the property sector was still in the “midst of adjustment,”  but they said consumer spending is playing an increasingly important role in driving growth. A spokesman for the National Bureau of Statistics said that given the wide gap between the incomes of city dwellers and people living in rural areas, there is ample room for growth.