China’s economic recovery quickened sharply in the first quarter to record growth of 18.3 percent from last year’s deep coronavirus slump, propelled by stronger demand at home and abroad and continued government support for smaller firms. But the brisk expansion, heavily skewed by the plunge in activity a year earlier, is expected to moderate later this year as the regime turns its attention to reining in financial risks in overheating parts of the economy. While the jump in gross domestic product (GDP) undershot the 19 percent forecast by economists in a Reuters poll, the official data showed it was the fastest growth since quarterly records began in 1992 and up from 6.5 percent in the fourth quarter last year. “The upshot is that with the economy already above its pre-virus trend and policy support being withdrawn, China’s post-COVID rebound is leveling off,” said Julian Evans-Pritchard, senior China economist at Capital Economics. “We expect quarter-on-quarter growth to …