An employee performs welding operations at a private company in Zibo, Shandong province. [Photo/Xinhua]
China's overall economic situation improved in the Jan-Feb period, said Ning Jizhe, head of the National Bureau of Statistics, on Tuesday.
"From the beginning of the year, the Chinese economy has been stable and has shown improving momentum," Ning said during an interview in the so-called "minister's passage" at the annual meetings of the national legislature and the top political advisory body.
Ning said his remarks were based on current available economic data of the Jan-Feb period, while the NBS is still working on the comprehensive data, which will be released on Thursday as scheduled.
Specifically, the Jan-Feb period saw an overall steady expansion in production, consumption and trade, as well as stable price levels and employment, Ning said.
More positive signs have appeared in March, with daily volume of electricity sold by the country's major power supplier State Grid Corp going up 11 percent year-on-year from the beginning of March to Sunday, said Ning.
Market expectation has also brightened, as signaled by the stock market uptrend since the beginning of the year, Ning added.
