China's economy expands 6.9 pct in 2017, beats forecasts

A farmer dries chrysanthemum in Niudachang Town of Shibing County in Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Guizhou Province, Nov. 25, 2017. Gross domestic product (GDP) of China totaled 82.71 trillion yuan (about 12.84 trillion U.S. dollars) in 2017 with a 6.9 percent year-on-year rise, higher than the 6.7 percent growth registered in 2016, data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) showed. (Xinhua/Yang Wenbin)