Premier: Economy to grow by 11.5%

SINGAPORE: China's economy is expected to grow 11.5 percent this year, Premier Wen Jiabao said Tuesday.

Wen, in Singapore on a four-day official visit and to attend a series of Association of Southeast Asian Nations meetings, made the forecast when meeting embassy staff and representatives of Chinese entrepreneurs and students.

China has enjoyed 9 percent year-on-year growth for 30 consecutive years while growth surpassed 10 percent in the past five years, he noted.

But he stressed that the government must prevent the economy from overheating; and make sure that structural price rises do not move toward high inflation.

"Only by achieving that can we enable the economy to grow in a stable and healthy manner," he said.

The consumer price index reached a decade-high 6.5 percent last month, matching the peak in August, with prices of foodstuffs rising 17 percent year-on-year.

Wen also called for efforts to transform the economic development mode to emphasize efficiency.

"An important task for us is to continue our efforts in energy conservation and pollution reduction.