BEIJING—China’s economy expanded 8.1% last year as a pandemic-plagued world snapped up its goods, though slowing growth in the final months of the year points to challenges ahead for its economy.
As expected, the annual gross domestic product figure easily topped Beijing’s official growth target of 6% or more, as exports surged to a record high. The 8.1% growth figure for 2021, which matched economists’ forecasts, adds to the country’s post-pandemic recovery after China eked out a 2.2% expansion in coronavirus-ravaged 2020.
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