Environment 'priority' for nation

Asian Development Bank: China can help drive economic growth across region

China remains a major driver for economic growth in Asia, but ecological and environmental issues still top the nation's major challenges, said Hamid Sharif, the Asian Development Bank's country director for China.

The pace of the growth moderation in China conforms to the bank's expectations. China will remain a driver for the region's growth despite the slight drop in the first quarter, Sharif said in an interview with China Daily in Guiyang, Guizhou.