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

A staff member of Offshore Oil Engineering Co, Ltd. cuts a workpiece in Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province, Jan. 17, 2018. 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/Yu Fangping)