Behind China’s pickup in Q1 GDP: the strong hand of the State - WSJ

The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) carries an article on Tuesday, offering a brief review on yesterday’s Q1 2017 Chinese GDP data.

Key Points:

The result of better-than-expected investment, industrial production and building starts for March

All evidence that last year's easy-money policies and infrastructure spending have developed a momentum of their own

Much of the firepower has come from state-owned companies and government infrastructure coffers

Government spending ramped up last month and despite Beijing's efforts to crack down on companies' debt levels, there was a rush for loans, much of it going to a property market that has gained new life from the state stimulus