Strong start to 2021, China economy powers ahead for high-quality growth

Photo taken on Nov. 4, 2020 shows a light show at the Lujiazui area in Shanghai, east China. (Xinhua/Zhang Haofu)

BEIJING, April 16 (Xinhua) -- China's economy grew 18.3 percent year on year in the first quarter of 2021, as strong domestic and foreign demands powered recovery from a low base in early 2020 when COVID-19 stalled the world's second-largest economy.

The gross domestic product (GDP) reached 24.93 trillion yuan (about 3.82 trillion U.S. dollars) in Q1, up 0.6 percent from the fourth quarter of last year, data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) showed Friday.

The double-digit year-on-year rebound puts average Q1 growth of 2020 and 2021 at 5 percent from the 2019 level.

The Chinese economy registered a 6.8-percent contraction in the Q1 of 2020 due to the novel coronavirus. Thanks to resolute and effective virus control, the global growth engine regained its footing with a "V-shaped" comeback to attain three consecutive quarters of a rebound last year (3.2 percent in Q2, 4.9 percent in Q3 and 6.5 percent in Q4).

Friday's data sent encouraging signs across the board. In Q1, China's value-added industrial output, retail sales and fixed-asset investment went up 24.5 percent, 33.9 percent and 25.6 percent, respectively.

Driven by the rising demand at home and abroad, total imports and exports of goods surged 29.2 percent year on year to 8.47 trillion yuan.

"Thanks to the effective measures that the government has taken to control the pandemic and stimulate the economy, we have observed resilient momentum in economic indicators coming from both the production and consumption side," Hoffman Cheong, EY China North managing partner, told Xinhua in an interview.

In particular, catering sales had almost returned to the level at the beginning of 2019, suggesting strong sentiment of the populace to go out, meet people and spend money, said Cheong. "This is the underlying reason why we are confident in China's outlook."

Despite the economic rebound, the NBS warned of high uncertainties and instabilities as COVID-19 continues to spread globally and the foundation for the domestic economic recovery is yet to solidify.

"The long-standing structural problems remain prominent with new situations and issues arising from development," the NBS said.

In 2021, China aims to expand its economy by over 6 percent, create more than 11 million new urban jobs and expand domestic demand and effective investment, which are expected to put the economy firmly back to pre-pandemic vibrancy.

It will pursue high-quality development, advance supply-side structural reform and consolidate and expand the achievements of the COVID-19 response and economic and social development, among other major tasks, according to a government work report.