China’s fiscal spending rose 2.6 per cent in the first quarter from a year earlier, accelerating from a 1 per cent increase in 2025, the finance ministry said on Friday (Apr 24), as Beijing steps up support for economic growth amid rising global risks caused by the Middle East conflict. Fiscal expenditure in the January-March period totalled 7.47 trillion yuan (US$1.09 trillion), while fiscal revenue grew 2.4 per cent from a year earlier to 6.16 trillion yuan, the ministry said. First‑quarter fiscal spending accounted for 24.9 per cent of annual budgeted expenditure - the highest in recent years - a finance ... (full story)