Shenzhen | China's economy grew at a weaker-than-expected 6 per cent in the third quarter as Donald Trump's trade tariffs and a contracting manufacturing sector saw gross domestic product scrape in at the bottom end of the government's target and hit a fresh 30-year low.

While still the envy of Australia and most Western economies, China's slowing economy poses challenges for the ruling Communist Party as it races to pay down debt and counter US tariffs while maintaining the stability that has been the key to its tight grip on power.