China on track to become 3rd-largest economy

China's GDP in the first nine months of the year grew by 11.5% to US$2.2 trillion over the same period last year, according to figures released by the National Bureau of Statistics on Thursday, Xinhua reported (in Chinese). The primary sector posted US$242 billion, the secondary sector US$1.13 trillion and the tertiary sector US$857 billion in added value in the first three quarters, said Li Xiaochao, the director of the bureau's statistics department. The country's GDP grew 11.5% in the third quarter year-on-year, a decrease from the 11.9% growth in the second quarter but higher than the 11.1% posted in the first quarter. The economy's continued growth has China on track to overtake Germany as the world's third-largest economy within weeks, AP reported.