China's September industrial production rises 10.2 pct

China's industrial production rose 10.2 percent year on year in September, down slightly from August's 10.4 percent increase, official figures revealed on Friday.

Industrial value-added output climbed 9.6 percent in the first nine months from the same period last year, accelerating from the 9.3 percent rise registered in the first half of the year, the National Bureau of Statistics said.

Industrial value-added output measures the output of Chinese companies with annual revenues above 20 million yuan (3.26 million U.S. dollars).

September's growth, pulling back slightly from August, still represented the second-highest this year.

The slowdown was in line with market expectations. Previous data showed industrial power consumption up 8.1 percent year on year in September, down from 12 percent in August.

Industrial production in eastern regions climbed 9.2 percent in September. Central and western regions both rose faster, 11.7 percent up on the previous year.

The data, along with other figures released on Friday, indicates growth in the world's second-largest economy is stabilizing.

The country's GDP grew 7.8 percent, up from the second quarter's 7.5 percent growth.

Fixed asset investment -- construction and purchase of fixed assets -- grew 20.2 percent in the first nine months. Retail sales rose 13.3 percent last month, slightly lower than the 13.4-percent growth registered in August.