China stats bureau expects economy to improve in May

BEIJING (Reuters) – China’s statistics bureau on Monday said it expects China’s economy to improve in May and that a recovery in consumption would quicken.

China is steadily pushing forward production resumption in COVID-hit areas, said Fu Linghui, spokesman for the National Bureau of Statistics, adding that China’s economy would maintain a relatively sound trend in the second quarter.

Economic activity cooled sharply in April as widening COVID-19 lockdowns took a heavy toll on consumption, industrial production and employment, adding to fears that the economy could shrink in the second quarter.

(Reporting by Kevin Yao; Editing by Tom Hogue)