Originally posted by the Voice of America.
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China's Economy Grew Just 3% in 2022

by VOA News

   China's economic growth plunged to one of its worst levels in more than
   four decades due to the country's strict response to the COVID-19
   pandemic.

   The National Bureau of Statistics released data Tuesday that showed
   China's economy grew by just 3% in 2022, far less than the 8.1% mark it
   reached the year before. It was the second-worst economic showing since
   the late 1970s, surpassed only by the 2.4% mark set in 2020 at the
   start of the pandemic.

   The world's second-largest economy dropped 2.9% during the fourth
   quarter of last year, compared to 3.9% during the same period of 2021.
   Retail sales fell 1.8% in December.

   Beijing had imposed a strict "zero-COVID" policy at the start of the
   pandemic, including swift and severe lockdowns, quarantines and mass
   testing in several cities with a significant COVID-19 outbreak. It
   triggered unusual and intense public protests across many Chinese
   cities and an economic downturn due to factory shutdowns.

   The government abruptly reversed its strict "zero-COVID" strategy on
   December 7, but China is now battling a new wave of infections that has
   led to the deaths of nearly 60,000 people.

   Some information for this report came from The Associated Press and
   Reuters.