China's economic activity cools in April

China's industrial output, an important economic indicator, expanded by 5.4 percent year-on-year in April, down from the 8.5 percent for March, official data showed on Wednesday.

In the first four months, industrial output rose from a year earlier by 6.2 percent, the same growth rate for last year as a whole, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

Retail sales increased by 7.2 percent in April, down from the 8.7 percent registered in March.

Fixed-asset investment expanded by 6.1 percent in the first four months, down by 0.2 percentage points compared with the January-March period.

The urban employment situation improved in April, with the surveyed jobless rate in urban areas standing at 5 percent, down from 5.2 percent in March.

The NBS warned that "unstable and uncertain factors are on the rise" and the external environment remains complicated, although the economy on the whole remains on track.