China’s industrial output jumped 4.1% in April from a year earlier, decelerating from 5.7% growth in March<\/a>, and undershooting expectations for a 5.9% rise in a Reuters poll. <\/p>\n Urban fixed asset investment, including real estate and infrastructure, contracted 1.6% in the first four months this year from a year earlier, compared with expectations for 1.6% growth. In the January to March period, urban investment had expanded 1.7% <\/a>year on year. <\/p>\n The strong performance of exporters helped to mitigate the weaknesses in domestic demand, but not enough to fully offset it, said Zhiwei Zhang, president and chief economist at Pinpoint Asset Management. Zhang, however, expects Chinese policymakers to stand pat on stimulus measures until there are further signs of economic deterioration. <\/p>\n China’s exports gathered pace in April as factories scrambled to meet surging overseas demand<\/a> from foreign buyers racing to stockpile goods amid fears that the Iran war could push global input costs higher. Exports expanded 14.1%, sharply beating the forecast of 7.9% rise. <\/p>\n Urban unemployment rate edged lower to 5.2%, from 5.4% in March, data released Monday showed.<\/p>\n During a high-profile state visit by U.S. President Donald Trump<\/a> last week, China agreed to purchasing at least $17 billion<\/a> of American agricultural products in 2026 and the next two years, as well as an initial 200 jets from Boeing<\/a>, according to a White House factsheet released Sunday. <\/p>\n![\"BridgePark’s](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/108307696-17788592611778859258-45959923053-1080pnbcnews.jpg\")
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