By Tuba Sahin
ANKARA (AA) - China registered a solid growth in industrial output, retail sales and fixed asset investment in January-February -- beating expectations, according to the National Bureau of Statistics on Tuesday.
"The national economy sustained steady recovery, the production demand grew fast, employment and prices were generally stable, new driving forces continued to develop, and high-quality development made new progress," despite the COVID-19 outbreak and real estate crises.
China's industrial production rose at the fastest pace for seven months, up 7.5% year-on-year from January to February, owing to strong growth momentum of high-tech manufacturing and equipment manufacturing at 14.4%.
The production of new-energy automobiles, industrial robots, and solar cells surged by 150.5%, 29.6% and 26.4%, respectively in the same period.
Chinese retail sales advanced by 6.7% in the first two months of this year compared to a year ago.
Fixed asset investment jumped 12.2% on an annual basis in January-February, the highest since the June reading of 12.6%.
The investment in infrastructure grew by 8.1%, in manufacturing by 20.9% and in real estate development by 3.7% in the same period.