China’s third-quarter economic growth came in stronger than expected, boosting hopes that the world’s second-largest economy will meet Beijing’s annual target this year.

China posted 4.9% growth in the July to September quarter from a year earlier, according to a release from China’s National Bureau of Statistics on Wednesday.

That’s stronger than economists expectations for third-quarter GDP of 4.6%, according to a Reuters poll. This follows the 6.3% print for the April-June quarter and 4.5% growth for the January-March quarter.

On a quarter-on-quarter basis, China’s economy grew 1.3% in the third quarter, stronger than economists’ expectations for a 0.9% growth. GDP in the second quarter rose 0.8% compared to the previous quarter.

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