(Yicai  Global) Oct. 18 -- China's retail sales climbed 8.2 percent annually in  the first three quarters to about CNY30 trillion (USD4.2 trillion),  according to data the country's National Bureau of Statistics published  today.

Retail sales growth was 7.8 percent annually last month, 0.3 of a percentage point faster than in August.

Results  from an Yicai Global survey of chief economists at major Chinese  financial institutions had predicted an 7.85 percent rise in retail  sales last month.

Editor: Ben Armour