More Slower Growth In China: Two Reasons To Stay Calm

Growth in the world’s most feared and revered economy, China, came to just 6.7% in the first three months of the year, the lowest year-on-year quarterly gain since 2009. Can we panic yet? The figure comes as no surprise, since academics and officials have forecast growth around that level from now through 2020. But it's still a change from the double-digit growth stats before 2011. But more sloth in the world No. 2 economy threatens countries everywhere that depend on China’s trade, vast market or overseas investments. China makes up 37% of annual global GDP growth compared to 24% from the United States, notes Jack Perkowski, managing partner of merchant bank JFP Holdings in Beijing. “No other country comes close to having this much impact on the global economy,” he says in a list of predictions for 2016.