China's GDP grew by 5.3% in the first quarter, exceeding expectations.  Data released by the National Bureau of Statistics on April 16 showed that according to preliminary calculations, the gross domestic product (GDP) in the first quarter was 29,629.9 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 5.3% at constant prices, and a 1.6% month-on-month increase from the fourth quarter of the previous year.  

The total retail sales of consumer goods was 12,032.7 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 4.7%. The national fixed asset investment (excluding rural households) increased by 4.5% year-on-year. The total import and export of goods increased by 5.0% year-on-year. The national urban surveyed unemployment rate average was 5.2%, which was 5.2% year-on-year.  A decrease of 0.3 percentage points over the same period.