The World Bank lowered its forecast for China's 2009 economic growth on Wednesday but warned Beijing that it would be thwarting its own medium-term goals if it tried to offset the slowdown by further boosting investment, Reuters reported. In a quarterly economic update, the bank cut its projection of gross domestic product growth this year to 6.5% from the 7.5% outcome it had forecast in November. It said there were both upward and downward risks to its outlook. The global crisis would be a drag both this year and next, mainly via weaker exports and non-government investment, but the bank said China's economic fundamentals were still strong enough to give policymakers the luxury of looking well beyond 2009.
