China's GDP up 6.1% in Q1 2009

BEIJING,&nbsp;Apr. 16&nbsp;-- China's industrial output grew 5.1 percent year on year in the first quarter, down 11.3 percentage points from the first quarter of 2008, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said Thursday. 
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; March alone saw a rise of 8.3 percent, down from an 11 percent growth in February. The figure for the first two months was 3.8 percent. 
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; China's industrial output, which measures activity in the nation's millions of factories and workshops, rose 12.9 percent in2008. 
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; First-quarter output of heavy industry grew 4.5 percent from a year earlier and that of light industry 6.8 percent, said NBS spokesman Li Xiaochao. 
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Eastern China posted a year-on-year industrial output growth of3.7 percent, central areas 5.2 percent and western regions 11.8 percent. 
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Li also said total profits of the major industrial enterprises fell 37.3 percent to 219.1 billion yuan (32.08 billion U.S. dollars) in January and February. Of the 39 major industrial sectors, 23 reported profit falls, and four suffered losses. 
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Li said the financial crisis eroded China's exports, which drove down profits for enterprises. 
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; (Source: Xinhua)
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