China grows above expectations before the trade war with the US

Beijing announced on Wednesday a 5.4% economic growth in the first quarter, surpassing trade expectations of 5.1%. This expansion of China’s economy is driven by a surge in exports from its companies, ahead of the tariff hike imposed by the Trump administration.

According to the National Statistic Office (NSO), China’s GDP in the first quarter showed a year-on-year increase of 5.4% at constant prices, just before the escalation of the trade war.

The NBS also reported a 6.5% growth in industrial production and a 4.6% increase in consumer demand.

China also acknowledged experiencing "certain pressure" on its economy and trade due to the tariff war with the United States, which has imposed a 145% tariff on Chinese imports.

According to AFP, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) also stated that "this will not change the general trend of the Chinese economy, which will continue to improve in the long term."

China appoints new trade negotiator in the midst of tariff war

In a separate move, China appointed a new trade negotiator on Wednesday amid its ongoing trade war with the United States.

The Ministry of Human Resources, under the communist regime, announced the appointment of Li Chenggang as vice minister of Commerce and chief envoy for international trade negotiations.

Chenggang previously served as Beijing's permanent representative to the World Trade Organization (WTO) and as deputy permanent representative to the United Nations (UN) in Geneva.

According to the ministerial statement, the official replaces Wang Shouwen, who was involved in the negotiations that resulted in the U.S.-China trade agreement in 2020.