Real estate investment surges, prices rise

Talk about new growth engines may be all the rage, but property development remains a tried-and-true growth booster.

Real estate investments, representing nearly 20 percent of the nation's total investment in fixed assets, has accelerated for the first time since the beginning of 2015, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.

New housing starts posted a significant surge: from a 14 percent contraction in December to a 13.7 percent rise in the first two months of the new year. Property sales, in terms of floor space, rose 28.2 percent, while in terms of value, they surged even more - 43.6 percent, the bureau said.