China’s economic recovery from the depths plunged during the COVID-19 pandemic continued, providing support for a world economy suffering its deepest recession since the Great Depression.

Gross domestic product climbed 4.9% in the third quarter from a year ago, according to data released in Beijing Monday. That’s lower than economists forecast, but faster than the 3.2% expansion seen in the second quarter. Retail sales expanded 3.3% in September, industrial production grew 6.9% in the month and investment growth accelerated to 0.8% in the nine months to the end of the quarter.

Despite the weaker-than-expected GDP performance, output expanded 0.7% in the year to date, meaning that the world’s second-largest economy regained all the ground it lost in the first half.