World Insight with Tian Wei

Amid global uncertainty, China’s economic development and its contribution to global growth remain important to the international community. Matthew Blake, managing director of the World Economic Forum, discusses the global economic outlook, China's role in the world economy and opportunities for international cooperation. He also examines China's newly released third-quarter economic data and what it reveals about the country's economic performance.

China's gross domestic product grew 4.6 percent year on year in the first three quarters of 2026. The National Bureau of Statistics released the latest figures on Monday. Analysts say China is on track to meet its 2026 growth target of 4.5 to five percent.

The IMF has raised its forecast for global economic growth this year to 3.1 percent, up slightly from its July projection. The IMF cited a boom in artificial intelligence investment that helped offset economic sluggishness linked to the conflict in the Middle East. It said growth prospects have diverged depending on countries' exposure to the war-driven energy shock and AI-related demand.

China and the EU have wrapped up their latest trade and investment consultation meeting in Beijing. The two sides have agreed to maintain stable bilateral economic and trade ties and make them more balanced. How should the outcomes be interpreted? What implications will they have for China-EU economic and trade relations across various dimensions?

The security situation in the Middle East remains tense. Fighting continues in Yemen while attacks and military operations have also affected Saudi Arabia. Against this backdrop, Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Pakistan have activated their new Mecca Joint Defense Agreement. They have agreed to deploy military forces to Saudi Arabia. What does this new partnership mean for the region? Is the Mecca alliance becoming a NATO of the Middle East, as some say? And can it help regional countries move closer to greater defense autonomy or not?

Music holds an appeal that connects audiences and musicians from diverse backgrounds. Matias Tarnopolsky and Marin Alsop of the Philadelphia Orchestra share how music touches hearts — both theirs and Chinese audiences'.

American teacher Ronald Sakolsky from Pennsylvania shares his views on the relationship between the world’s two largest economies. He once came to China as an exchange teacher and supported a Chinese woman in her efforts to fight desertification by planting more trees. Recently, Sakolsky was thrilled to learn that Chinese President Xi Jinping mentioned his name at a White House dinner during the state visit to the United States.

The Chinese and US presidents have agreed at their latest summit that the two countries should build a constructive relationship of strategic stability based on respect, fairness, and reciprocity. What does that actually mean? How might it shape the way the two countries deal with each other, from AI and trade to people-to-people exchanges? Can respect, fairness, and reciprocity become more than just words?

Chinese President Xi Jinping has wrapped up his first state visit to the United States in 11 years. As more details emerge about what the two sides agreed on, the bigger question is: what will these understandings mean for China, the United States, and the rest of the world?

In our special program from Washington, D.C.: Chinese President Xi Jinping's state visit to the US. From rapidly advancing artificial intelligence to the frontiers of scientific discovery, how can China and the United States work together on technologies and ideas shaping our future?