Twenty-two of China's 27 provinces and regions witnessed higher than average growth in the first quarter of this year, according to newly released figures.
West China's Tibet, Chongqing and Guizhou led the way with gross domestic product growing more than 10 percent. This was compared to an average national GDP growth figure of 6.9 percent.
Western China is generally less developed but now grows much faster than its eastern counterparts, with six of the 10 top growth areas located in the region.
Analysts say a tilt in government support towards the western region is behind this. Tibet Autonomous Region, Chongqing Municipality, and Guizhou Province maintained double digit growth rates at 11 percent, 10.5 percent and 10.2 percent respectively. However, much of the growth was pulled by infrastructure investment, and lower base numbers.
CGTN Graphic
Another bright spot was northeast China. Although the region was shadowed by a scandal in 2016 when three northeastern provinces fabricated economic data to cover their sluggish growth, in the first quarter of 2017, Liaoning Province bounced back to positive territory. Meanwhile, Heilongjiang Province saw a 6.1 percent jump in GDP.
Across the country, several regions saw a recovery in private investment, indicating stronger confidence in the market.
