China industrial output up 8.3 pc in March

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BEIJING, April 13 (AFP): China's industrial output rose by 8.3 per cent in March, in a sign that a huge stimulus package is kicking in, Premier Wen Jiabao said in an interview published on Monday.
Last month's growth accelerated from the 3.8-per cent rise in the first two months as domestic demand continued to improve, Wen said, according to the China Securities Journal.
Data on fixed asset investment and retail sales, which measure spending on infrastructure and consumption respectively, also increased quickly in the first quarter, he said in an interview carried out in Thailand at the weekend.
All this showed the economy was performing "better than expected" thanks to Beijing's measures to tackle the international financial crisis, he said.