China posts faster Q1 growth of 4.8% that masks hit from Covid-19 lockdowns | The Straits Times

BEIJING (BLOOMBERG) – China’s economic growth accelerated in the first quarter, although the damage from Covid-19 outbreaks and the lockdowns to contain them are yet to be fully reflected in the official figures. Gross domestic product rose 4.8 per cent in the January-March period from a year earlier, faster than the 4 per cent increase registered in the fourth quarter and higher than the 4.2 per cent median estimate in a Bloomberg survey of economists. March data showed a marked deterioration in consumption, while production held up, according to the National Bureau of Statistics data released on Monday (April 18)….