China's economy expanded at a faster pace in the fourth quarter on spending, while the full-year growth hit the weakest in 26 years, data from the National Bureau of Statistics revealed Friday, cited by rttnews.

Gross domestic product grew 6.8 percent in the fourth quarter, while economists expected the rate to stabilize again at 6.7 percent.

In 2016 as a whole, the economy expanded 6.7 percent, which was within the government's target of 6.5 to 7 percent. However, this was the weakest growth in 26 years.