According to the statistics released recently, in April China's economy continued its positive performance of the first quarter. However, the remarkable year-on-year slip in exports has become the biggest factor blocking the emergence of the Chinese economy from its current difficult period.
The commissioner of China's National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), Mr. Ma Jiantang, has stated that China's economy is currently operating better than expected, adding that the stimulus package launched by the central government has proved remarkably effective. Meanwhile, these positive changes still need to be consolidated, he said.
In his statement, NBS commissioner Ma Jiantang presented data which indicate the improvement in China's economic situation. According to the statistics, China's urban fixed assets investment for the January-April period of 2009 rose by 30.5 percent year on year, 1.9 percentage points higher than the growth rate in the first quarter. Considering the continuously declining price levels during the same period, investment growth is actually even higher.
From January to April, total investment for newly launched urban projects rose by 90.7 percent year on year, an increase of three percentage points compared with the growth in the first quarter and up 95.8 percentage points year on year. The sharp rally in investment for newly launched urban projects indicates rapid investment growth in the coming period, which will provide strong support for economic development.
In April, the total retail sales of consumer goods rose by 14.8 percent year on year, 0.1 of a percentage point higher than the year-on-year increase in March.
In April, 1.15 million vehicles were sold in China, hitting a new historical high. In the January-April period, the real estate sales volume in China rose 17.5 percent from a year earlier, up 9.3 percentage points compared with the growth in the first quarter.
China's exports in April decreased 22.6 percent year on year, indicating an expanding decrease rate. Although the US economy recently showed signs of a slowdown in its economic downturn, it is likely to fluctuate at bottom levels.
Despite the expanding domestic demand boosted by the central government's stimulus package, Mr. Ma said that it is still hard to say when the contracted global demand - which now constitutes the biggest factor restricting the emergence of China's economy from this difficult period - will recover.
In conclusion, Mr. Ma said that in general the Chinese economy at the current time has observed some positive changes that still need to be consolidated, and with the world economy still in trouble China continues to experience difficult times.