Jauhn Etienne Villaruel

This photo shows a gerenal view of China's and USA's flags during a meeting between US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and China's Vice Premier He Lifeng at the Guangdong Zhudao Guest House in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou, on April 5, 2024. Photo by Pedro Pardo/AFP/File

Article (news)

Agence France-Presse

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:950px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1747626952394173440681491112-17-2024 12-00-00 PM.jpeg" style="width:950px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner"></span></span></span></div><p style="text-align:left">This photo shows a gerenal view of China&#x27;s and USA&#x27;s flags during a meeting between US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and China&#x27;s Vice Premier He Lifeng at the Guangdong Zhudao Guest House in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou, on April 5, 2024. Photo by Pedro Pardo/AFP/File</p><p>BEIJING, China — Factory output in China grew at a faster rate than expected last month, official data showed Monday, weathering a brutal trade war with Washington.</p><p>Industrial production in the export powerhouse grew 6.1 percent on-year in April, according to figures published by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/business/2025/4/9/trade-war-escalates-as-china-hits-us-with-huge-tariff-0040">Trade war escalates as China hits US with huge tariff</a></div><p>The reading was higher than the 5.7 percent forecast in a Bloomberg survey, but still lower than the 7.7 percent jump recorded for March.</p><p>&quot;The national economy withstood pressure and grew steadily in April,&quot; the NBS said, acknowledging a &quot;complex situation of increasing external shocks and layered internal difficulties and challenges&quot;.</p><p>China and the United States last week agreed to slash sweeping tariffs on each other&#x27;s goods for 90 days, raising hopes the global economy can avoid a major downturn.</p><p>In addition to heightened trade tensions, Beijing has also been battling a persistent slump in domestic spending, threatening its official growth target for this year of around five percent.</p><p>Data on Monday showed retail sales, a key gauge of domestic demand, grew 5.1 percent year-on-year last month, short of the 5.8 percent growth forecast by Bloomberg.</p><p>The reading also marked a slowdown from March&#x27;s 5.9 percent growth.</p><p>Meanwhile, China&#x27;s surveyed unemployment rate edged down slightly to 5.1 percent, from 5.2 percent in March, according to the NBS.</p><p>&quot;Economic activities softened only marginally in April as exports stayed resilient despite higher US tariffs,&quot; Zhiwei Zhang, president and chief economist at Pinpoint Asset Management, wrote in a note.</p><p>&quot;Now that the tariffs have been cut significantly, I expect exports to remain strong,&quot; Zhang said, adding that &quot;economic momentum in the second quarter will likely be stable&quot;.</p><p>Adding to woes is a years-long downturn in the once-booming property market, which previously represented a key engine for the country&#x27;s economy.</p><p>April saw the price of new residential properties contract in 67 out of 70 surveyed cities, reflecting continued consumer caution, according to the data.</p><div><strong>© Agence France-Presse<br/></strong></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO</strong></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Ygmsykc2EJE?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div>

<p>Factory output in China grew at a faster rate than expected last month, official data showed Monday, weathering a brutal trade war with Washington.</p>

Factory output in China grew at a faster rate than expected last month, official data showed Monday, weathering a brutal trade war with Washington.

China factory output beats forecasts, weathering tariffs

News

Entertainment

Lifestyle

Sports

Metro.Style

More

Traffic

Manila

Horoscope

Business

China factory output beats forecasts, weathering tariffs

Agence France-Presse

Published May 19, 2025 12:00 PM PHT

Read More:

Beijing

China

economy

indicator

data

trade

Agence France-Presse

ANC

ANC promo

ABSNews

ABS-CBN is the leading media and entertainment company in the Philippines, offering quality content across TV, radio, digital, and film. Committed to public service and promoting Filipino values, ABS-CBN continues to inspire and connect audiences worldwide.

Corporate

Investors

Governance

International Distribution

Corporate

Governance

Investors

International Distribution

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

AI Policy

Terms of Service

Advertise with Us

© 2026 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2026 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2026 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.