Amid trade war, China’s Xi talks up economy

In this November 9, 2017, file photo, U.S. President Donald Trump, right, chats with Chinese President Xi Jinping during a welcome ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. AP Photo

BEIJING — Amid the trade war with the United States, Chinese President Xi Jinping has expressed confidence in the resilience of the Chinese economy.

In an interview with Russian media published Wednesday, Xi said strong consumer demand is helping drive growth. He said first quarter GDP growth of 6.4 percent was a sign China is “sustaining its momentum of steady growth in recent years.”

Xi said 4.59 million urban jobs had added in the first four months of the year, personal income grew faster than the economy as a whole, and inflation remained stable with consumer prices up 2 percent.

Xi did not directly address the effects of higher U.S. tariffs, but said total imports and exports were up by 4.3 percent year-on-year, while China’s foreign exchange reserves continued to top $3 trillion. /kga