9% growth tipped for next year

China could next year notch up growth of 9 percent, or even above, as the world's fourth-largest economy pulls out all stops to stimulate investment and consumption, the nation's top think tank said yesterday.

"I think China can achieve 9 percent GDP growth, or even higher," said Wang Tongsan, a senior economist at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), at a news conference releasing the academy's annual economic forecast, or Blue Book.

"The possibility is quite high - it could be at least 70 percent possible that GDP growth reaches 9 percent next year."