China’s Jan.-Feb. Economic Data Show Improvement, Minister Says

China’s economic data for January and February, including industrial output and retail sales, have shown notable improvement, Kang Yi, head of National Statistics Bureau, said in a group interview during the annual National People’s Congress meetings.

The government is “very confident” it will achieve this year’s growth target of around 5%, and China is likely to return to its potential growth rate in the long run, Kang said.