China’s economy grew by around 7% in 2015: Premier

Monday, 18 January 2016 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

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China's Premier Li Keqiang answers a question during a meeting with foreign company executives at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in China's port city Dalian, September 9, 2015. China must embrace its global obligations when it comes to combating climate change, Li said on Wednesday, adding that the country was already under huge pressure to meet emission reduction goals - Reuters

Reuters: China’s gross domestic product (GDP) totalled more than $ 10 trillion in 2015 and the economy grew by around 7%, with the services sector accounting for half of GDP, Premier Li Keqiang said on Saturday.

The premier also said that employment had expanded more than expected with 900 million people making up the country’s total workforce, including 150 million skilled professionals.

Consumption contributed nearly 60% of growth, Li said, at the opening ceremony for the China-backed Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) in Beijing.

China’s fourth-quarter and full-year 2015 GDP figures are expected to be released on 19 January.

Analysts polled by Reuters have forecast 2015 growth cooled to 6.9%, down from 7.3% in 2014 and the slowest pace in a quarter of a century.