China GDP growth may ease to 8.5pc in 2012

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BEIJING, Dec 12 (Reuters): China's annual economic growth is likely to slow to 8.5 per cent in 2012 and consumer price inflation may drop sharply to average 2.9 per cent next year, an academic adviser to the country's central bank said in remarks published Monday. Li Daokui, a professor at Tsinghua University, said Beijing could boost spending on basic infrastructure if the government sees any risk of annual economic growth slipping below 8 per cent next year, according to a report published on the news portal website sina.com.cn.