China's economy grew 9.7 percent year-on-year in the first quarter of the year, official figures show.

Zheng Jingping, spokesman for the National Bureau of Statistics, told a press conference Thursday that the first quarter gross domestic product (GDP) reached 2.71 trillion yuan (326.6 billion US dollars).

The added value of the primary industry grew 4.5 percent to 202.9 billion yuan (24.4 billion dollars). That of the manufacturing industry surged 11.6 percent to 1.56 trillion yuan (188 billion dollars). The value added of the tertiary industry rose 7.7 percent to 944.3 billion yuan (113.8 billion dollars).

The aggregate retail sales volume rose 9.2 percent year on year after deducting price hikes to more than 1.28 trillion yuan (154.2 billion dollars) in the first quarter of this year.

Zheng told the press conference that the hike represents a similar level compared with the same period of last year.

China's Consumer Price Index (CPI)grew 2.8 percent year-on-year in the first quarter.

The first quarter CPI was 2.3 percentage points higher than in the corresponding period of last year. The food price increased 7.1 percent, adding 2.4 percentage points to the growth of CPI, Zheng said.

Chinese farmers' income rose an annualized 9.2 percent in the first quarter of the year after deducting price hikes.

The farmers reaped 834 yuan (100.5 US dollars) in per capita income in the three-month period.

Over the same period the per capita income of urban residents rose 9.8 percent to 2,639 yuan (318 dollars).

By People's Daily Online