The Chinese economy grew by more than 9 per cent in the first quarter of this year, its fastest quarterly expansion for six years as the country reaped the benefits of joining the World Trade Organisation and runaway demand for cars and steel.

The growth figures signal a shift in China in which the consumer has started to propel growth. For most of the past five years, that role has been played by centralised government spending.

Official Chinese sources said the National Bureau of Statistics will announce a GDP growth rate well in excess of 9 per cent tomorrow.

The rapid rate of first-quarter growth compared with full-year growth at 8 per cent last year, is up from 7.3 per cent in 2001. The official government target in 2003 is "around 7 per cent", a conservative estimate in line with Beijing's overarching aim to quadruple GDP to over $4,000 billion (€3,722) by 2020. But more important than the headline figure, which can be inflated by a number of one-off influences, is a growing sense that the quality of Chinese growth has improved. - (Financial Times Service)