Instant View: China’s economy grew 4.5% year-on-year in Q1, above expectations

(Reuters) – China’s economy grew at a faster-than-expected clip in the first quarter, official data showed on Tuesday, expanding 4.5% year-on-year, as policymakers move to bolster growth following the end of strict COVID-19 curbs in December. Analysts polled by Reuters had expected gross domestic product (GDP) to expand 4.0% from a year earlier, quickening from…

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U.S. IRS clears massive backlog of unprocessed paper tax returns

By David Lawder WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Internal Revenue Service declared on Tuesday that it is completing its first “normal” tax filing season since the COVID-19 pandemic struck in 2020, with a backlog of millions of unprocessed returns from previous years fully cleared. New IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel told reporters that the initial spending…

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J.P.Morgan, Citi upgrade China’s 2023 full-year GDP growth forecast

(Reuters) – J.P.Morgan and Citigroup upgraded China’s 2023 full-year gross domestic product growth forecast on Tuesday, citing that the country’s decision to lift stringent COVID-19 restrictions last December helped boost growth. J.P.Morgan and Citi upgraded their annual economic growth forecast for the world’s second-largest economy by 40 basis points to 6.4% and 6.1% year-on-year, respectively….

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US arrests two for setting up Chinese ‘secret police station’ in New York

By Luc Cohen NEW YORK (Reuters) -U.S. federal agents arrested two New York residents for allegedly operating a Chinese “secret police station” in the Chinatown district of Manhattan on Monday in what prosecutors said was part of a crackdown on Beijing’s alleged targeting of dissidents. Lu Jianwang, 61, and Chen Jinping, 59, face charges of…

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UN predicts Afghan economy would contract if aid drops 30%

By Charlotte Greenfield (Reuters) – Afghanistan’s economy will contract, inflation will rise and liquidity will fall if there is a 30% drop in international aid as feared, according to an analysis by the United Nations’ development agency released on Tuesday. International officials say aid to Afghanistan, the recipient of the world’s largest humanitarian program, will…

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U.S.’s Blinken says Beijing needs to make its intentions clear

KARUIZAWA, Japan (Reuters) – The United States is able to move forward with its relationship with China following President Joe Biden’s meeting with leader Xi Jinping last year, but that requires Beijing to make clear its own intentions, Washington’s top diplomat said on Tuesday. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken made the comment at a…

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