The country’s economic recovery comes as lockdowns meant to contain the COVID-19 pandemic begin to be lifted.

CHINA’S ECONOMY GREW BY more than 3% in the second quarter of the year, bouncing back from the first quarter’s reduction.

The country reported that its GDP jumped by 3.2% from April to June compared to one year ago, China’s National Bureau of Statistics said in a press release  on Thursday, beating economists’ expectation that it would grow at 2.5%. China’s GDP took a huge hit in the first quarter of 2020, contracting nearly 6.8% compared to a year ago.

It was the country’s first economic decline since at least 1992, when quarterly records began, according to CNBC.

“Generally speaking, the national economy overcame the adverse impact of the epidemic in the first half gradually and demonstrated a momentum of restorative growth and gradual recovery, further manifesting its development resilience and vitality,” the release said.

China’s economic recovery comes as lockdowns meant to contain the COVID-19 pandemic begin to be lifted and Beijing rolls out measures to stimulate China’s economy. The government introduced measures meant to boost the economy, including fiscal spending and cuts in lending rates and reserve requirements of banks, CNBC reported.

While the country’s GDP is often looked at as an indicator of the health of the economy, experts have long been skeptical about the truthfulness of China’s reports.

According to the release, agricultural production “was sound” and grew by 3.8% in the entire first half of the year. Industrial production “recovered quickly” and high-tech manufacturing and equipment manufacturing both grew. Additionally, market sales gradually improved and online retail sales grew fast, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.