China's April output grows; investment, domestic demand soften

Beijing

CHINA'S industrial output grew faster than expected in April while both growth of retail sales and investment stalled, as government tightening weighed on domestic demand and the property sector. Industrial output grew a solid 7 per cent in April as companies rebuilt inventories after the end of the winter pollution campaign.

Meanwhile, investment growth eased slightly to 7.4 per cent growth in the first four months of the year, compared with 7.5 per cent for the three months ending March 31.