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China economy expected to grow 12 pct in first quarter

China ’s economy is expected to expand 12 percent in the first quarter this year thanks to strong industrial output in February, a government researcher said in remarks published on March 29.
China ’s economy is expected toexpand 12 percent in the first quarter this year thanks to strongindustrial output in February, a government researcher said in remarkspublished on March 29.

The latest industrial output data showed robust 20.7 percentyear-on-year growth for January and February.

China Daily newspaper cited Yu Bin, head of macroeconomic research atthe State Council Development Research Centre, as saying that the paceof growth might slow down in the second quarter and thereafter.
Meanwhile, senior economist Fan Jianping with the State InformationCentre - a think-tank under China's economic planning agency, asforecasting the same rate of growth in the first quarter followed by apossible drop to 10.8 percent in the second quarter and 9 percent orless in the third and fourth quarters.

China's GDP growth picked up steadily last year to 10.7 percent in thefourth quarter from 6.2 percent in the first, as aggressive governmentstimulus bolstered economic growth after a heavy blow from the globalfinancial crisis./.
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