China's economy shows mixed recovery in May with consumers under strain

The recovery of China's industrial output was helped by a rebound in the car sector as auto production centers like Jilin and Shanghai reopened

China’s economy had a mixed recovery in May as Covid restrictions gradually eased, with industrial production unexpectedly increasing while consumer spending and a property market continuing to contract.
 

Industrial output rose 0.7% from a year ago, the National Bureau of Statistics said Wednesday, while the almost 7% contraction in retail sales was better than the plunge in the previous month. Fixed-asset investment grew 6.2% in the first five months of the year and the surveyed jobless rate fell.

Some Covid restrictions in Shanghai were eased during the month, allowing factories to gradually resume production and logistics bottlenecks to