UPDATE 2-Chinese economy shows no sign of flagging

Wed Mar 15, 2006 5:59 AM ET

By Jason Subler

BEIJING, March 15 (Reuters) - China posted strong industrial output and money supply figures on Wednesday, providing fresh evidence that the economy is making a strong start to 2006 after three years of growth averaging 10 percent.

China's industrial output for January and February grew 16.2 percent from a year earlier, while annual M2 money supply growth in February was 18.8 percent.

The figures, issued by the National Bureau of Statistics and the People's Bank of China respectively, followed strong growth figures for exports and retail sales reported earlier this week.