China Will Lead Global Economy Out of Recession

BEIJING (WALL STREET JOURNAL) — China's government has turned around its economy far faster than most thought possible, as officials said Thursday that growth accelerated to 7.9% in the second quarter. Even if the surge moderates in coming quarters, many analysts say China will very nearly meet its target of an 8% expansion for all of 2009. In the first quarter, gross domestic product grew 6.1% from a year earlier.

The Shanghai stock market's benchmark index has gained 75% this year (see chart above) as the Chinese outlook has improved, with factory output, bank lending and commodity imports all continuing to accelerate in the past few months. …