China’s economy in 2014 - in pictures

An employee inspects newly-made steel coils at a steel plant in Lianyungang, Jiangsu province on October 11, 2014. Average daily crude steel output from China’s large steel mills inched up 0.8 per cent to 1.8 million tonnes in the first 10 days of October, data from the China Iron and Steel Association (CISA) showed. Reuters / China Daily

Employees work at a slaughterhouse in Shenyang, Liaoning on October 15, 2014. China’s consumer inflation slowed more than expected in September to a near five-year low, adding to concerns that global growth is cooling fast unless governments take bolder measures to shore up their economies. Stringer / Reuters

A cleaner walks inside a glass wall of a building under construction in Beijing on October 16, 2014. September industrial output, retail sales and investment numbers will be released on October 21 along with third-quarter GDP, which is expected to show the world’s second-largest economy grew at its weakest pace in more than five years as sluggish domestic demand and a rapidly cooling property market weighed on other sectors. Kim Kyung-Hoon / Reuters

Shanghai’s skyscrapers Shanghai World Financial Centre, left, Shanghai Tower, right, and Jin Mao Tower, top, are seen at the financial district of Pudong in Shanghai. Chinese companies are on a pace to cut capital spending by around 7 per cent this year, the biggest annual reduction since the global financial crisis, deepening an economic chill. Carlos Barria / Reuters

Workers install an advertisement board for a Skoda Octavia on a building in Taiyuan, Shanxi province, on October 16, 2014. China’s banks increased lending in September, supporting Beijing’s efforts to guide capital into the struggling economy, but foreign investment remained weak and foreign exchange reserve data showed signs of potential capital flight. Reuters

Buildings are pictured in Beijing’s central business district. Chinese companies are on a pace to cut capital spending by around 7 per cent this year, the biggest annual reduction since the global financial crisis, deepening an economic chill. Jason Lee / Reuters

A customer selects fruits at a supermarket in Huaibei, Anhui province, on October 15, 2014. China’s inflation rate slowed more than expected in September to a near five-year low, adding to concerns that global growth is cooling fast unless governments take bolder measures to shore up their economies. Reuters

A delivery rider carriers empty water bottles on his tricycle in a street in Beijing. China’s exports and imports both rose more than expected in September, customs data showed on October 13 in a positive signal for the world’s second-largest economy, but analysts warned that fundamentals remained weak. Greg Baker / AFP

A man is silhouetted against the setting sun at a business district in Beijing on October 14, 2014. China’s investment growth should pick up in the coming months as authorities hasten construction of water conservancy and other infrastructure projects to support growth, a senior official at the country’s powerful economic planner said on Tuesday. Kim Kyung-Hoon / Reuters

China’s third quarter GDP figures are released this week and are expected to show that the world’s second largest economy grew at its weakest pace in more than five years.