China's fixed-asset investment up 20.6 pct in Jan-April BEIJING, May 13 (Xinhua) -- China's urban fixed asset investment growth accelerated 20.6 percent year on year to 9.13 trillion yuan (147.29 billion U.S. dollars) in the first four months of the year, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) revealed on Monday. The growth was 0.3 percentage points higher than the pace recorded in the first quarter, the NBS said in an online statement. Investment in the agricultural sector surged 32.1 percent to 177 billion yuan. Investment in industry grew 16.3 percent to 3.91 trillion yuan, while the service sector saw a 23.9-percent rise to hit 5.04 trillion yuan. Investment in the nation's central regions witnessed rapid growth of 24.1 percent, followed by 23 percent in the west and 19.2 percent in east China. The real estate sector saw investment climb 21.1 percent year on year. The rise was 0.9 percentage points higher than the rate logged in the first three months of 2013, the statement said. About 297.61 million square meters of property was sold across China from the start of January to the end of April, up 38 percent compared to a year ago. The rise was 0.9 percentage points higher than the rate logged in the first three months of 2013. Revenues from property sales rose 59.8 percent from a year earlier to reach 1.98 trillion yuan during the period, down from 61.3 percent seen in the first quarter of the year. Meanwhile, investment made by private companies increased 23.9 percent year on year to 5.8 trillion yuan in the first four months, according to the statement. The figure accounted for 63.5 percent of the total fixed-asset investment during the period, up from a 63.3-percent share in the first quarter, the statement added. China's retail sales up 12.8 pct in April BEIJING, May 13 (Xinhua) -- China's retail sales grew 12.8 percent year on year to 1.76 trillion yuan (283.4 billion U.S. dollars) in April, the National Bureau of Statistics announced Monday. China's inflation rises to 2.4 pct in April BEIJING, May 9 (Xinhua) -- China's consumer price index (CPI), a main gauge of inflation, grew 2.4 percent year on year in April, up from 2.1 percent in March, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said Thursday. China's April PPI down 2.6 pct BEIJING, May 9 (Xinhua) -- China's producer price index (PPI), which measures inflation at the wholesale level, fell 2.6 percent year on year in April, the National Bureau of Statistics said on Thursday. It was the seventh consecutive month in which the PMI figure stayed above 50 percent, which demarcates expansion from contraction, according to a statement from the CFLP. China Focus: China's foreign trade gains momentum BEIJING, May 8 (Xinhua) -- China's foreign trade volume grew by 15.7 percent year on year in April, faster than the 12.1-percent increase recorded in March, according to customs data released on Wednesday. The General Administration of Customs (GAC) said in a statement that total exports and imports stood at 2.23 trillion yuan (355.96 billion U.S. dollars) last month.