China's Economic Recovery: Strong Data or Glass-Half-Empty?

China's economic data for April is expected to show rapid year-on-year growth in industrial output and retail sales, with fixed-asset investment projected to have gathered pace. However, economists warn that these figures may mask a weakening recovery, as recent data shows evidence of the economy's momentum cooling. The lopsided recovery has raised questions about how much the world's second-largest economy can boost global growth this year, when other nations had hoped the end of China's pandemic restrictions would benefit their own exports. This is fueling debate about whether the People's Bank of China will ease monetary policy.