China's 'economic outlook is bright'

Hong Kong's richest man said the Chinese mainland's economic outlook is bright in the long term, casting a vote of confidence in the economy that has witnessed slower growth in the past quarters.

China continues to have a trade surplus, the services industry is generating income and foreign money is flowing in, billionaire Li Ka-shing said in his first interview with international media since 2012. He also indicated that investors focusing on the country's rising debt levels are missing out on the larger picture.

"The long-term outlook for the mainland is good," the 87-year-old chairman of CK Hutchison Holdings Ltd said from his office atop the Cheung Kong Center building in downtown Hong Kong. "People only see the debt in the State-owned enterprises and in households, when they need to recognize that China is a big exporter."