China GDP Growth Beats Forecasts at 5% Despite Rising War-Driven Risks

China GDP growth reached 5% year-on-year in the first quarter, surpassing forecasts and signalling resilience despite rising geopolitical risks.

The expansion exceeded the 4.8% estimate and improved from 4.5% in the previous quarter.

On a quarterly basis, China GDP growth stood at 1.3%, slightly above the prior quarter’s 1.2%.

However, escalating risks linked to the Iran conflict threaten the outlook, particularly through rising oil prices that could disrupt trade, increase production costs and weaken exports, highlighting vulnerabilities in the world’s second-largest economy.