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Good start of Chinese economy in 2023 boosts confidence of world

Published

3 years ago

April 26, 2023

By He Yin, People’s Daily
China’s GDP grew 4.5 percent year on year in the first quarter of 2023, according to statistics released by the country’s National Bureau of Statistics on April 18.
The sound performance was said to be a solid start of the Chinese economy in 2023 by international community, and the world is confident about China’s long-term economic resilience and vitality. It is believed that China will continue injecting strong impetus into global recovery.
This performance was a hard-won result achieved in an external environment that was volatile and grave.
Since this year, as the country has achieved a smooth transition in COVID-19 response and front-loaded the policies to stabilize growth, employment and commodity price, it has accumulated more positive factors.
Multiple international organizations and investment institutions had lifted their forecast on China’s economic growth this year.
After the Q1 performance was released, global media outlets, seeing the energy and vitality of the Chinese economy, described it with “recovery,” “rebound,” and “prosperity.”
The encouraging momentum of rebound of the Chinese economy has laid a solid foundation for the country to achieve its annual targets. Both Citigroup and Societe Generale have raised their forecast on China’s annual growth since the release of the country’s Q1 performance. This once again indicated the recent remarks by World Bank Group President David Malpass that global growth is expected to be weak this year, but China will be an exception to the slowdown.
Consumption, one of the three major driving forces of China’s economic growth, played a prominent role in the country’s economic development in the first quarter and demonstrated the dynamic internal impetus of the Chinese economy.
China’s retail sales of consumer goods went up 5.8 percent year on year in the first quarter of this year, and the retail sales of services maintained double-digit growth in the same period. Final consumption contributed 66.6 percent to the economic growth, much higher than the whole-year figure in 2022.
The third China International Consumer Products Expo was held recently in south China’s Hainan province. Over 1,000 products under 300 global brands made their debut at the event. It fully proved that to explore the huge potential of the Chinese consumption market is a consensus of global enterprises.
China is witnessing continuous expansion of consumption scenarios, improved consumption expectation, growing market sales and obviously rebounding service consumption. An Associated Press report said that China’s economic growth is accelerating with consumption boost.
A foreign scholar noted that China’s bright economic prospects come from more flexible and higher-quality development.
Since this year, China has actively given play to the key role of investment to drive high-quality development. It expanded investment in key areas and livelihood sectors, and witnessed sound growth in manufacturing investment. In particular, the investment in high-tech manufacturing jumped 15.2 percent.
China’s commitment to high-quality development is mirrored by the country’s growing solar and wind power generating capacity as well as the soaring sales of new energy vehicles, said Chief executive officer Shakeel Ahmad Ramay of the Asian Institute of Eco-civilization Research and Development in Pakistan.
Senior executives of multinational corporations have paid frequent visits to China this year, with many enterprises announcing to expand their investment in China. In the first two months, China’s foreign direct investment, in actual use, reached $40 billion, and the figure is keeping growing.
It has become a broad consensus that advancing with China is advancing with opportunities, and investing in China is investing in the future.
The encouraging momentum of rebound of the Chinese economy has provided more opportunities for the rest of the world.
In the first quarter, China’s foreign trade of goods went up 4.8 percent year on year. In particular, trade with countries along the Belt and Road surged 16.8 percent, while that with other participating countries of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership rose 7.3 percent.
In the same period, China’s outbound shipments of solar batteries, lithium-ion batteries and electric vehicles surged 66.9 percent on a yearly basis. Cross-border e-commerce and other new businesses also saw rapid growth. This well explains the supportive role played by new drivers in the foreign trade sector.
In its latest annual trade statistics and outlook report, the WTO lifted its forecast for global trade growth in 2023 to 1.7 percent from the previous estimate of 1.0 percent, saying China is a “key factor” of this increase and the release of the demand for consumption will promote global trade growth. A Bloomberg report noted that the growth in China’s exports boosted economic prospects and suggested that global growth may be better than expected.
The good start of the Chinese economy this year once again proved that fundamentals of China’s economic growth remain unchanged, and China’s advantages of its large-scale market and complete industrial system remain unchanged.
China has the confidence and ability to sail the giant ship of the Chinese economy steadily ahead against all winds and waves, and make even greater contributions to the global economy.

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Kwara: Ifelodun Travellers Transport System Revived

Published

11 hours ago

August 19, 2026

Our Reporter

As Council Signs MoU With P&A Contract Ltd

Stephen Olufemi Oni, Ilorin

The Ifelodun local Government, under the leadership of Hadji Abdulrasheed Femi Yusuf, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with P & A Contract Limited for the construction of a modern motor park in Amoyo, as the Council moves to revive the Ifelodun Travellers transport system and improve transportation within the Local Government.

Speaking during the MoU signing ceremony at the Council s Contact Office in Amoyo, the Chairman explained that the decision to construct the motor park was driven by the need for Ifelodun Local Government to establish its own transport identity, intended to ease people’s transportation problem.

He recalled that residents travelling to and from Ifelodun had, over the years, relied on transport facilities at Offa Garage and Maraba in Ilorin, stressing the need to create a dedicated transport hub that would serve the people of the Local Government.

“At some point in the history of Ifelodun Local Government, we had Ifelodun Travellers, which does not exist anymore. I don’t think there is anything wrong with bringing that identity back to the limelight. Now, we want to add value to that identity,” the Chairman said.

He added that the Council was also working with relevant stakeholders to bring in 10 units of Korope buses, which would commence operations as soon as possible.

“We are working with the NURTW, Kwara State Chapter, for guidance and to ensure that the operation runs smoothly,” he added.

The Supervisory Councillor for Works and Infrastructure Development, Mrs. Kolo Rebecca, explained that the proposed park would feature several amenities, including a garage, warehouse, 100-unit shopping complex, parking spaces and general toilets.

She said the facilities were designed to boost economic activities, improve the image of the Local Government and provide a more convenient transportation system for residents.

According to her, the initiative is also in line with the efforts of the Kwara State Governor, Mallam AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, to take governance and development directly to the grassroots.

The contractor, Mallam Jimoh Toheeb Abolore, assured the Local Government of the prompt execution of the project, promising that the construction would meet the required standards and contribute positively to the image and development of Ifelodun Local Government.

Those in attendance included the Vice Chairman, Hon. Nike Ajibola; Secretary to the Local Government, Dr. Kamil Akorede; DPM, Mallam Ayinde Salman; LGT, Mallam Usman Waheed; Chief of Staff to the Chairman, Chief Ademola Zubair; Head of Works, Engr. Awodi Muhammad; Land officer, Tola Kadir and other Special Assistants.

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Lawyer Demands Release of Detained Kano Blogger, Maryam Shehu

Published

1 day ago

August 18, 2026

Our Reporter

By Hassan Agboola

A lawyer and human rights activist, Hamza Nuhu Dantani, has called for the immediate release of Kano-based blogger, Maryam Shehu, who he said has been in the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for almost 30 days.

Dantani, in a statement on Monday, said the prolonged detention of Shehu was becoming difficult to reconcile with the rule of law and provisions of the 1999 Constitution, particularly her fundamental right to personal liberty.
He questioned why Shehu should remain in detention for nearly 30 days, particularly over an offence he described as ordinarily bailable.

“How on earth can a person be detained for almost 30 days and counting, particularly in relation to an offence that is ordinarily bailable, without meaningful consideration of her liberty and constitutional rights?” he asked.
Dantani said the EFCC’s powers to investigate did not give the commission the right to detain a suspect indefinitely, punish her before trial or disregard her fundamental rights.

He also criticised the alleged practice of photographing persons in EFCC custody and publishing their images online while they remain presumed innocent.
Citing Section 36(5) of the Constitution, Dantani said the law guarantees the presumption of innocence until a suspect is proven guilty by a competent court.

He warned that publicly portraying suspects as criminals before trial could amount to subjecting them to public punishment and humiliation.
“The EFCC is a law-enforcement institution. It must therefore be the first institution to demonstrate obedience to law. It cannot demand respect for law from citizens while appearing to disregard constitutional safeguards itself,” he said.

Dantani urged the commission to either charge Shehu before a competent court if it has credible evidence against her or release her immediately
.
“We call on EFCC to respect the Constitution, respect presumption of innocence and respect fundamental right to personal liberty. Investigation is not conviction. Detention is not punishment. And an allegation is not guilt,” he said.

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Cristiano Ronaldo’s Comment on Lionel Messi’s Tribute to His Dad Becomes Most-Liked Instagram Comment

Published

1 day ago

August 18, 2026

Our Reporter

By Fabian Apechihin

Cristiano Ronaldo’s heartfelt message to Lionel Messi following the death of his father, Jorge Messi, has reportedly become the most-liked comment in Instagram history.

Jorge Messi died on August 7 in Rosario, Argentina, aged 68. Five days later, Messi paid tribute to his late father in an emotional Instagram post featuring a photo of the pair.

In the post, Messi wrote, “Te amo, pa” — meaning “I love you, Dad” — alongside a lengthy tribute reflecting on his father’s influence and the pain of losing him.

Among the many reactions from fans, celebrities and fellow footballers was a message from Ronaldo.

“Un abrazo enorme para ti y los tuyos en estos duros momentos, Leo. Mucha fuerza,” Ronaldo wrote, which translates to: “A huge hug to you and yours in these tough times, Leo. Much strength.”

Ronaldo’s comment reportedly attracted more than 6.86 million likes and over 86,000 comments, making it the most-liked comment on Instagram.

The previous record was also held by Ronaldo, whose comment on Kylian Mbappé’s announcement of his move to Real Madrid reportedly received more than five million likes.

Other football stars also expressed their condolences to Messi. Neymar Jr.’s message, translated as “Much strength for you and your family. Big hug,” reportedly received more than 1.6 million likes, while David Beckham’s comment expressing support for Messi and his family attracted more than 300,000 likes.

In his tribute, Messi described his father’s death as difficult to comprehend, saying he struggled to accept that he would no longer see or speak with him.

Messi also recalled how his father had encouraged him to play at the 2026 World Cup despite his deteriorating health. He said his father had hoped to watch him compete and had planned to travel if his condition improved.

According to Messi, he had promised his father that Argentina would reach the final so he could be there. Although Argentina reached the final, his father was unable to attend.

Reflecting on the loss, Messi said he had wanted to win the tournament and bring the trophy to his father but ultimately struggled physically during the competition.

The emotional tribute highlighted the close bond between Messi and his father and the profound impact of his loss on the football superstar.