China's economy is estimated to have grown 9.5% in the first quarter of 2004 compared with the same period last year, the state-run Xinhua news agency quoted a ranking official as saying today, two days before the official release of the data.
Xu Hongyuan, a leading researcher at the State Information Centre, a government think tank, also forecast full-year growth of 9%, virtually unchanged from last year's 9.1%.
He made the prediction after a slew of government statistics suggesting brisk economic activity in the first three months.
China's industrial output rose nearly 18% year-on-year in the first quarter, while imports surged 42% in the same period.
The momentum is likely to be maintained in the second quarter, with growth topping 10%, Xu said. In the second half of 2004, growth is likely to slow to 8%, he added.
The Chinese government is scheduled to release official economic data for the first quarter on Thursday.
