China will boost government investment next year to lift the country's slackening economic growth, the chief economist of the National Bureau of Statistics was quoted as saying on Saturday. Higher spending aims to lift public confidence in the face of tough challenges posed by the global economic slowdown, the Shanghai Securities News reported Yao Jingyuan as saying.
China will focus on infrastructure investment given uncertain outlook for exports, another cornerstone of economic growth, Yao said. Much of the investment would go to China's railway and underground networks. Local media have reported that the government plans to invest 5 trillion yuan ($732.6 billion) on roads, waterways and ports in the next three to five years.