BEIJING, April 18 (Xinhua) -- China’s gross domestic product grew 4.5 percent year on year in the first quarter of 2023, data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) showed Tuesday.

On a quarterly basis, the economy increased 2.2 percent in the first three months.

"China’s national economy made a good start this year, and market expectation saw significant improvement," said NBS spokesperson Fu Linghui at a press conference.

China’s GDP grew 3 percent year on year in 2022, and 2.9 percent year on year in the fourth quarter of last year.