But alternative economic indicators may now be pointing to tougher financial times for the world's second-biggest economy.
The country's towering skyline, made up of plenty of new but vacant buildings, is a sure indicator for many that it is heading for trouble.
Half of all the world's skyscrapers currently under construction are in China.
And like New York in the run-up to the Wall Street crash of 1929, or Dubai before the 2008 financial collapse, analysts point to the link between building for pride and an impending economic fall.
Al Jazeera's Rob McBride reports from Hong Kong.
