China's gross domestic product, or GDP, totaled 5.03 trillion yuan (653 billion U.S. dollars) in the first quarter of this year, according to latest figures provided by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) Thursday.

The growth was 0.7 percentage points higher than the year-earlier level.

China's primary, secondary and tertiary sectors reported a respective 363.1 billion, 2.56 trillion and 2.11 trillion yuan in added value, with the secondary sector, including manufacturing, mining and construction, growing at the fastest year-on-year rate -- 13.2 percent -- in the January-March period, the statistical bureau said.

The primary sector posted a growth rate of 4.4 percent and the tertiary sector, including transport, posts and telecommunications, catering, tourism, banking and insurance, recorded an increase of 9.9 percent, the bureau said.

CPI rises to 25-month high

China's consumer price index (CPI) rose 3.3 percent in March compared with a year ago, Li said Thursday.

The index, a main gauge of inflation, is the highest in 25 months after it hit 3.9 percent in February 2005.

Li said in a news press conference that the consumer price inflation in the first quarter of this year climbed 2.7 percent, 1.5 percentage points higher compared with the same period last year.

He added the CPI in March was 0.3 percent lower compared with February.

Editor: Yan