by Edna Alcantara and Wu Hao

MEXICO CITY, May 15 (Xinhua) -- The performance of the Chinese economy has been "very surprising" and exceeds expectations, a well-known Mexican economist has said in a recent interview with Xinhua.

China's gross domestic product (GDP) growth in the first quarter this year, twice the rate of other world economies according to him, signals the great dynamism and potential of China's economy, said Enrique Dussel, coordinator of the China-Mexico Studies Center at the National Autonomous University of Mexico.

According to the National Bureau of Statistics of China (NBS), China's GDP grew 6.4 percent year on year in the first quarter of the year.

The economist highlighted the constant efforts of the Asian country to deepen its reform and opening-up.

"China has been a dynamic market. In the last five years, or the last 10 years, the rate of increase of Chinese imports has been spectacular," he said.

Worldwide companies from all sectors, including small and medium-sized enterprises, seek to have a greater presence in China eyeing opportunities and potential of the country's consumer market, Dussel said.

Consumption has been playing an increasingly important role in the Chinese economy, contributing 76.2 percent to GDP growth in 2018, according to data from the NBS.

Despite a "very high grade of uncertainty" due to growing unilateralism and protectionism, China continues driving economic growth globally, said Dussel.