China’s economy grew 5% year-on-year in the first quarter, reports the South China Morning Post citing data released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). The figure beat market expectations despite the global impact of the US-Israel war in Iran.
The closely watched GDP growth figure, released by the NBS on Thursday, beat the 4.86% forecast by economists polled by financial data provider Wind. It also marked an acceleration from the 4.5% recorded in the last three months of 2025, which was China’s weakest quarterly growth figure in three years.
“GDP came in stronger than expected, marking a very solid start to the year, and Beijing is unlikely to take immediate policy action,” said Ding Shuang, chief economist for Greater China and North Asia at Standard Chartered.