China's economic growth picks up in 2017

Beijing

CHINA'S economy grew 6.9 per cent last year, its first year-on-year acceleration since 2010, on a robust industrial sector and solid exports as the global economy picked up, supporting demand for Chinese goods.

The upbeat data will leave room for further structural reform and deleveraging, say analysts, who add that recent stringent anti-polluting measures have already started to weigh on production.

"The economy is cruising along at impressive speed, breezing…