China's GDP expanded by 6.8% in Q1: NBS

China's GDP growth remained stable in the first quarter, up by 6.8 percent year-on-year, according to data released by the National Bureau of Statistics on Tuesday.

Industrial output growth reached 6.8 percent in the first quarter, down by 0.4 percentage point compared with the first two months.

Private investment picked up by 8.9 percent in the same period, up by 0.8 percentage point compared with the January-February period.

Real estate development investment increased by 10.4 percent year-on-year in the first three months, accelerating by 0.5 percentage point from the first two months, the NBS said.

Retail sales rose by 9.8 percent in the first three months, 0.1 percentage point faster than the first two months.

The NBS said employment market remained stable, with the surveyed unemployment rate standing at 5 percent, 5 percent and 5.1 percent in the first three months, respectively, down by 0.2 percentage point, 0.4 percentage point and 0.1 percentage point over a year ago.

The NBS said there had been more supporting factors in the first quarter for China to achieve high-quality growth.