An overview shows Beijing's central business district. - AP

China's consumer spending rose 22 per cent in April as outlays for food, housing and energy grew sharply, according to official data reported Tuesday.

Chinese consumer spending, fuelled by an economy that grew by 10.6 per cent in the first quarter, has stayed strong even as demand in the United States and elsewhere weakens.

That has raised hopes that China might help to drive global growth as its imports expand.

Real consumption

Spending on food jumped by 25.3 per cent in April compared with the same month last year, the National Bureau of Statistics reported.

It said spending on housing rose 25.2 per cent, while that for fuel was up 45.4 per cent.

The April growth rate was the highest monthly level in a decade, according to Goldman Sachs.

"While real wage income growth has softened in recent months, it remains at a firm level and we expect it to provide support for real consumption going forward," Goldman Sachs economists Yu Song and Hong Liang said in a report.

Retail pending also has been driven by a surge in inflation that is forcing consumers to pay more for food and other basics.

Boosting China's imports

Inflation in April rebounded to nearly decade-high levels as prices rose 8.5 per cent compared with the same month last year, according to official data released on Monday.

Consumer spending helped to boost China's imports by 26 per cent in April over the same month last year, according to customs data.

Beijing is trying to encourage Chinese consumers to spend more as part of a strategy to reduce reliance on exports to drive economic growth.