Will Slow and Steady Win China's Economy Race?

(Beijing) – China's faster-than-expected economic slowdown is testing the ability of government policymakers to maintain near-term stability without compromising the nation's long-term reform goals.

The government said the gross domestic product growth rate sank to a six-year low 6.8 percent in January and February. Figures for those months came in far short of the average 7.7 percent forecast by economists from 14 financial institutions previously surveyed by Caixin. Fixed-asset investment growth and lending growth slowed as well during the period.