Economy on a steady course

Higher industrial output, retail sales fuel faster-than-expected growth momentum

China's economic growth beat market expectations in the first two months, an indication that the world's second-largest economy is expanding steadily and can achieve its preset growth target of about 6.5 percent, analysts said.

Industrial output posted steady growth in the first two months of this year, up by 7.2 percent year-on-year, 1 percentage point higher than in December and 0.9 percentage point higher than a year ago, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said on Wednesday.