China's growth seen slowing to between 6.9% and 7.1% this year

Beijing

CHINA'S economic growth could slow to between 6.9 per cent and 7.1 per cent this year as the country fends off deflation risks, the head of the Chinese central bank's research bureau said on Tuesday.

In an opinion piece in the China Daily newspaper, Lu Lei said that fixed asset investment growth in the world's second-largest economy is likely to cool further this year, dragged by a sagging property market and a fall-off in state investment.