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London:\u00a0Former prime minister Kevin Rudd has questioned whether China\u2019s economic growth figures reported for 2022 are accurate.<\/p>\n
China reported that its annual gross domestic product growth slumped\u00a0from 8 per cent to 3 per cent last year.<\/p>\n
his constituted its second-weakest economic performance in 50 years and was a direct result of Beijing\u2019s decision to pursue a zero-COVID strategy, which President Xi Jinping suddenly abandoned earlier this year.<\/p>\n
Rudd said the result was a best-case scenario, but possibly exaggerated.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\u201cChina obviously had no choice, zero-COVID was not working for China\u2019s growth numbers, the 2022 growth numbers were at best 3 per cent, possibly less,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe do expect now a bounce back, the official numbers are probably around five [per cent].<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m expecting a solid growth number for 2023, that\u2019ll be good for China and importantly in a world where growth will be challenged with Europe facing recessionary challenges and the United States \u2013 a question mark, in terms of how soft or hard the landing will be. And the rest of the world, the developing world, struggling.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf China produces a solid growth number for 2023, 5 or 5-plus, that will actually underpin much global growth for the year to come.\u201d<\/p>\n
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