China's economy started the year stronger than expected

"China is stronger than we thought," Hao Zhou tells Bloomberg.

Retail sales in January-February increased 2.8 percent at an annual rate, which compares with an average forecast of 2.5 percent, according to Bloomberg.

Industrial production rose 6.3 percent, compared to an expected 5.3 percent - the highest growth rate since September last year.

Investment in fixed assets increased by 1.8 percent, compared to an expected decline of 5.1 percent.