China's industrial output expands 7 pct in April

China's industrial output expanded 7 percent in April, quickening from the 6-percent rise in the previous month, official data showed Tuesday.

Workers work at a steel factory in Dalian, northeast China's Liaoning Province, on March 27, 2018. [File photo: IC]

The growth was higher than market expectations of around 6.4 percent for the period.

In the first four months, industrial output rose 6.9 percent, compared with the 6.8-percent gain in the first quarter, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said in a statement.

A breakdown of the data showed that the industrial structure continued to improve, with production in high-tech industries and the equipment manufacturing sector expanding by 11.8 percent and 10.3 percent, respectively, last month.

Output of new energy vehicles saw a surge of 82.2 percent year on year during the period, while industrial robot production jumped by 35.4 percent, NBS 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 3 million U.S. dollars). 

China's fixed-asset investment rose 7 percent in the first four months of the year, down from 7.5 percent for January-March, according to the NBS.

This marked growth deceleration for two consecutive months. The pace was down from 8.9 percent registered during the same period of last year.

On a monthly basis, the FAI edged up 0.52 percent in April, according to data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

NBS spokesperson Liu Aihua said although FAI growth eased, the structure of investment continued to optimize, with more support for economic transformation and improving supplies.

Infrastructure investment increased 12.4 percent year on year for January-April, slightly down from 13 percent in the first three months. 

FAI by the private sector gained 8.4 percent during the period, with the pace of growth also easing from 8.9 percent in the first three months.

Property development investment expanded 10.3 percent year on year for January-April, slightly down from 10.4 percent during the first quarter.

Housing sales measured by floor area grew 1.3 percent during the period, with the growth down from 3.6 percent for January-March.

The property development investment expanded 10.3 percent year on year for January-April, slightly down from 10.4 percent during the first quarter.