DHAKA: China's economic growth slowed further in the three months to March, expanding 7% compared to a year earlier, in line with most expectations.

The rate of economic growth was lower than the 7.3% posted for the three months to December.

Last year, China's economy, which is the world's second largest, grew at its slowest pace since 1990, reports BBC.

It expanded by 7.4% down from 7.7% in 2013, missing its annual growth target of 7.5% for the first time in 15 years.

Despite the slowdown, analysts have said the Chinese economy was still one of the world's fasting-growing and was proving to be more resilient than expected.

However, they have said that slower growth, together with the country's cooling property market - a key economic driver - was likely to mean further easing by China's central bank this year, including further rate cuts among other measures.

In February the People's Bank of China unexpectedly cut interest rates for the second time since last November.

Interest rate cuts together with injections of liquidity are some of the tools Beijing uses to fine tune its economic growth.


BDST: 1130 HRS, APR 15, 2015
RS