UK GDP rose by 0.7% in Q4, according to an initial estimate from the Office for National Statistics, with growth for the year as a whole rising at its fastest rate since 2007.
The Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) should hold off on raising interest rates even though its stated threshold for doing so - a fall in the unemployment rate to 7% - is in sight, according to a report.
The Chinese economy grew by 7.7% in 2013, the latest figures from the country have revealed, its slowest rate for 14 years.
Britain's growth rate could reach as high as 4% this year as the recovery accelerates, economists have said.