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BEIJING, March 14-- China's economy kicked off 2018 on a strong note with better-than-expected data for the first two months. Industrial output expanded at 7.2 percent year on year in the first two months, accelerating from 6.2 percent growth in December 2017, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said in a statement. The growth was faster than the 6.3 percent growth during the same period last year, and was well above analyst expectations. Retail sales of consumer goods grew 9.7 percent year on year, faster than the same period last year. Fixed-asset investment grew 7.9 percent, up from 7.2 percent for the full year of 2017. "The economy had a good start with accelerating industrial production, active consumption, and stable prices," said NBS spokesperson Mao Shengyong. A breakdown of the data pointed to higher quality growth, which the country has been trying to prioritize over mere pace. Industrial structure continued to improve, with production in high-tech industries and the equipment manufacturing sector expanding by 11.9 percent and 8.4 percent, respectively. Output of new energy vehicles saw a surge of 178.1 percent year on year during the period, while industrial robots production jumped by 25.1 percent, NBS data showed. While such rapid growth was partly due to a low comparable base, it indicated that emerging sector expansion is accelerating, according to Mao. | 
