China GDP: economy surged record 18.3 per cent in first quarter compared to a year earlier, but slowed versus fourth quarter

• China’s economy grew by 18.3 per cent in the first quarter of 2021 compared to a year ago but slowed to 0.6 per cent versus the fourth quarter 2020
• Retail sales and industrial production grew by 34.2 per cent and 14.1 per cent respectively in March from a year earlier