China's foreign exchange reserve shrank for the third consecutive month in September, but the capital outflow pressure is still within reasonable range, economists said.

The reserve, the world's largest, stood at $3.17 trillion in September, down by $18.79 billion from August, data from the People's Bank of China, the central bank, indicated on Friday.

The latest figure was released after Yi Gang, the bank's deputy governor, said on Thursday in Washington that China's economic growth remains robust, with an annual rate forecast at 6.5 percent to 7 percent.