China's economy is witnessing a continuous and steady recovery, foreign media said, as China's GDP increased 9.8 percent to 82.31 trillion yuan ($12.8 trillion) in the first quarters of 2021, data from the National Bureau of Statistics showed on Monday.

"China has essentially maintained its strength in exports ever since its economy emerged from the pandemic in the spring of last year," said the New York Times in a Monday article, adding China's exports kept surging through the third quarter and finished strong.

Families, particularly prosperous ones, resumed spending on restaurant meals and other services in September, as China succeeded once again in quelling small outbreaks of the coronavirus, it said, adding retail sales were up 4.4 percent in September from a year ago.

Financial Times echoed the sentiment, adding China's exports last month are a sign of resilience for the country's trade sector despite the energy crisis and other supply chain challenges.

"China's economy far outperformed other developed countries in 2020, driven by a construction boom, higher industrial activity and soaring exports, after new COVID-19 cases slowed to a trickle by the middle of the year," it said in an article yesterday.