Slowdown 'may last longer'

More steps necessary to reverse trend, says government think tank

China may need more time to reverse the current economic downturn than previously expected, and further measures are necessary to prevent an accelerated cooling, a leading government think tank said on Tuesday.

The country's economic restructuring, which started in 2014, may last for another three to five years, along with a decelerating growth rate, much longer than the previously estimated one or two years, Li Yang, deputy head of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said at a conference on Tuesday.