Jan 18, 2018
China’s economy grew 6.9 percent in 2017, ending the year on a positive note as official figures topped the government target of around 6.5 percent, the country’s statistics bureau said on Thursday.
China’s final GDP figure for 2016 was 6.7 percent — the lowest in 26 years.
Fourth quarter GDP growth was 6.8 percent. That topped analysts’ forecast for 6.7 percent growth in the quarter from the same period a year ago, according to a poll of economists by Reuters.
Beijing’s official full-year GDP target for 2017 was “around 6.5 percent,” but there was already an upside surprise expected as the country posted robust economic data last year in part due to a global recovery.
Just last week, Premier Li Keqiang said China’s GDP was expected to have grown 6.9 percent last year, busting the official target and quickening for the first time in seven years.
Economists polled by Reuters predicted China’s economic growth would slow to 6.5 percent in 2018 from an expected 6.8 percent in 2017.
The Chinese economy is going through a phase of “creative destruction” as lively new economy sectors like e-commerce and online financial services coexist with still-dominant old economy sectors, said Chi Lo, BNP Paribas Investment Partners economist for Greater China.
However, growth in the old economy still outpaces in the new economy, so “when you mix the two together, there is an inherent drag on growth,” Chi told CNBC.
“The power of creation is not yet strong enough to overwhelm the power of destruction in the economy, but the transition is structurally positive,” he added.
Source: CNBC
