China economy better but vital consumer demand still feeble

China economy better but vital consumer demand still feeble

BEIJING (AP) - Factory output rose in April as China's virus-battered economy reopened but job losses depressed consumer spending, a key driver of growth, challenging the ruling Communist Party's push to revive normal activity.. Investment in factories and other fixed assets also improved as businesses reopened after China's deepest economic slump since at least the 1960s, official data showed Friday.. Factory output rose 3.9 percent in April from a year earlier, an improvement over the previous month's 1.1 percent contraction.. Investment in fixed assets, the second-biggest driver of economic growth, shrank by 10.3 percent from a year ago but that was better than the first quarter's 16.1 percent contraction.. Exports, reported earlier, rose 3.5 percent in April over a year ago, rebounding from the previous month's 13.3 percent contraction.. April auto sales, reported this week, fell 2.6 percent from a year earlier, but that was better than March's 48.4 percent contraction in the industry's biggest global market..