China's National Bureau of Statistics: Q1 2026 GDP Grows by 5%

(Central News Agency reporter Lu Chia-jung, Beijing, 16th) China's National Bureau of Statistics announced today that the economic growth rate for the first quarter of this year increased by 5% year-on-year, accelerating by 0.5 percentage points compared to the fourth quarter of last year, beating market expectations.

China's State Council Information Office held a press conference today to "Introduce the National Economic Performance for the First Quarter of 2026." The Deputy Director of China's National Bureau of Statistics announced that the economic growth rate for the first quarter of this year increased by 5% year-on-year.

Additionally, in the first quarter, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose by 0.9% year-on-year, an expansion of 0.4 percentage points compared to the fourth quarter of last year. In the first quarter, the Producer Price Index (PPI) fell by 0.6% year-on-year, narrowing its decline by 1.5 percentage points compared to the fourth quarter of last year.

Mao Shengyong stated that the growth rates of major macroeconomic indicators rebounded in the first quarter, with new drivers growing rapidly, resulting in a good start for the national economy. However, the external environment is becoming more complex and volatile, and the domestic contradiction of strong supply and weak demand remains prominent, meaning the foundation for economic improvement still needs consolidation.

Mao Shengyong said that in the next phase, more proactive and effective macroeconomic policies must be implemented to continuously expand domestic demand, optimize supply, improve increments, vitalize stock, and strive to stabilize employment, enterprises, markets, and expectations, continuously consolidating and expanding the steady and improving trend of the economy.