Growth set to reach 6.8 to 6.9%

National Bureau of Statistics official sees fast expansion in H1

China's economic growth could reach 6.8 or 6.9 percent in the first half of this year, a senior national statistics bureau official said on Wednesday.

"China is expected to achieve relatively fast GDP growth of 6.8 or 6.9 percent in the first half of this year," said Pan Jiancheng, deputy head of the China Economic Monitoring & Analysis Bureau of Statistics, which is affiliated to the National Bureau of Statistics.