China central bank sees GDP up 8%

SHANGHAI/BEIJING, Jan 6 - China’s economy will probably grow by about 8 per cent this year, the central bank’s research bureau forecast on Tuesday, the latest in a string of relatively optimistic estimates.

Some analysts have predicted a much sharper slowdown for the world’s fourth-largest economy, to as little as 5 per cent, as factory output growth grinds to a halt and exports shrink from their year-earlier levels.