Q1 GDP numbers: China's economy grows record 18.3% in post-Covid comeback

China’s economy strengthened in the first quarter of the year as consumer spending rose more than expected, putting it on course to join the U.S. as twin engines for a global recovery in 2021.
 
Gross domestic product climbed 18.3 per cent in the first quarter from a year earlier, largely in line with the 18.5 per cent predicted in a Bloomberg survey of economists, though that record-breaking figure was mainly due to comparisons with a year ago when much of the economy was shut due to coronavirus.
 
Retail sales beat expectations while industrial output growth moderated.
 
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