China industrial output expands 6.5 pct in April
China's value-added industrial output, an important economic indicator, expanded 6.5 percent year on year in April, 0.5 percentage points higher than the same month of last year, official data showed Monday.
In March, industrial production expanded 7.6 percent year on year, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).
The NBS attributed the monthly slowdown to the International Labor Day holiday-shortened working days in April.
Industrial production expanded 6.7 percent year on year for the first four months, the data showed.
Industrial output, officially called industrial value added, is used to measure the activity of designated large enterprises with annual turnover of at least 20 million yuan (about 2.9 million U.S. dollars).
Ownership analysis showed that industrial output of state-holding enterprises was up 5.6 percent in April, while output of share-holding enterprises grew 6.9 percent. Meanwhile, industrial output of enterprises funded by overseas investors increased 5.5 percent.
China's fixed-asset investment growth slows
China's investment in fixed assets rose 8.9 percent year on year in the first four months of 2017, down from 9.2 percent in the first quarter, the National Bureau of Statistics said Monday.
China's retail sales up 10.7 pct in April
China's retail sales, a key indicator of consumption, grew 10.7 percent year on year in April, 0.2 percentage points slower than the March level, official data showed Monday.
Total retail sales of consumer goods hit 2.73 trillion yuan (about 395.4 billion U.S. dollars) last month, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). It increased 0.79 percent month on month.
In the first four months, total retail sales of consumer goods rose 10.2 percent year on year, 0.2 percentage points faster than the growth in the first quarter, according to Xing Zhihong, a spokesperson with the NBS.
Consumption activities were relatively stronger in rural areas, with retail sales expanding 12.6 percent in April, outpacing urban areas, where retail sales climbed 10.4 percent year on year.
Online spending was robust. From January to April, online retail sales surged 32 percent year on year to 1.92 trillion yuan.
Xing said the April figure indicates continued expansion of domestic consumer demand, which was partly driven by consumption upgrades and new business patterns such as online sales.
China is trying to shift its economy toward a growth model driven by consumer spending, innovation and services, while weaning it off reliance on exports and investment.
China's economy expanded at a 6.9-percent pace in the first quarter, accelerating from 6.8 percent in the previous quarter, and 77.2 percent of it was driven by consumption, 12.6 percentage points higher than the 2016 level, according to official data.
China's real estate investment quickens pace
China's investment in property development continued to rise in the first four months of this year and picked up growth momentum, official data showed.
The investment in real estate development expanded 9.3 percent year on year from January to April, 0.2 percentage points faster than the growth rate registered in the first three months this year, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said Monday.
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