"The World Bank raised its forecast Thursday for 2009 growth in China, citing a massive public spending drive that offset weak exports, but warned it was too soon to declare an end to the crisis. In its quarterly forecast, the bank said it expected the world's third-largest economy to expand by 7.2 percent this year, up from a 6.5 percent prediction made three months earlier...." [Agence France Presse/Factiva]

The FT adds that "...China's fiscal stimulus package would help the country's economy grow faster than expected this year... however, Beijing might have little room for more stimulus measures.... 'Government-influenced investment will strongly support growth in 2009. However, there are limits to how much and how long China's growth can diverge from global growth based on government influenced spending,' said World Bank Chief Economist for China Ardo Hansson. 'It is too early to say a robust sustained recovery is on the way.'..." [Financial Times/Factiva]

BBC News writes that additionally "...the country's exports are still down, as the rest of the world struggles with the global recession.... China's export sector has been one of the hardest hit parts of the economy and has still not recovered. This has led to millions of migrant workers - farmers who leave their villages to find work in China's factories - losing their jobs. 'We have not had a meaningful increase in exports since last year's plunge,' said World Bank economist Louis Kuijis...." [BBC News/Factiva]