BEIJING — China’s economic rebound likely quickened sharply in the first quarter from a coronavirus-induced slump earlier last year, propelled by stronger demand at home and abroad and continued government support for smaller firms.
Data released on Friday is expected to show the gross domestic product (GDP) jumping a record 19% in the first quarter from a year earlier, after a 6.5% expansion in the last quarter of 2020, a Reuters poll showed.
While the reading will be heavily skewed by the plunge in activity a year earlier, the expected jump would be the strongest since at least 1992, when official quarterly records started.
Aided by strict virus containment measures and …
Keep on reading: China’s Q1 GDP to hit record growth as recovery speeds up