China's Q1 property investment growth at lowest since 2009

Hong Kong

GROWTH in China's real estate investment in the first quarter slowed to the lowest rate since 2009 as developers focused on clearing excess inventory, while a series of government support measures braked the rate of decline in property sales.

While home sales are expected to climb in the coming months helped by government support, economists and analysts said falling property investment will continue to weigh on the economy.