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China's economy likely picked up pace in first quarter: AFP survey
Analysts said exports and electric vehicle shipments lifted growth, but weak consumer spending and a property slump kept domestic demand subdued.
- Analysts expect China's economy expanded 4.8 percent in the first quarter of 2026, up from 4.5 percent in the final three months of 2025, according to an AFP survey before official results are published Thursday.
- While exports of green technology provided a lift, Sarah Tan of Moody's Analytics noted the growth "masks underlying imbalances, with external demand driving growth as domestic momentum remains weak."
- Data from last week showed shipments of Chinese electric vehicles and hybrids rose 140 percent year-on-year in March, as skyrocketing energy costs caused by the Middle East war ended a three-year deflationary streak.
- Persistent woes in the domestic real estate market weigh on investment and consumer moods, leading Derek Scissors of the American Enterprise Institute to tell AFP, "Consumption can't recover until property does."
- If the Middle East war triggers a global slowdown, "Beijing will step up domestic stimulus to offset the external shock, so that they can still hit this year's growth target," wrote Macquarie economists Larry Hu and Yuxiao Zhang.
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Total News Sources24
Leaning Left2Leaning Right3Center12Last UpdatedBias Distribution70% Center
Bias Distribution
- 70% of the sources are Center
70% Center
12%
C 70%
R 18%
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