China's leaders say economic pressure increasing, but fundamentals good

[January 18, 2016]  BEIJING (Reuters) - China's economy faces increasing downward pressure but economic fundamentals remain sound, state news agency Xinhua reported the nation's two top leaders as saying on Monday.

Premier Li Keqiang said that amid the increasing pressure on the economy, the government would pay more attention to supply-side reform, Xinhua said. Economic growth would be kept at a medium to high level, he added.

Both Li and President Xi Jinping, who affirmed that economic fundamentals remain good, were speaking at the ruling Communist Party's Central Party School, Xinhua said.

China is due to release fourth quarter growth figures on Tuesday. Growth likely slowed to 6.8 percent from the same period last year, down from 6.9 percent in the third quarter, according to a Reuters poll of 50 economists.

(Reporting by Beijing Monitoring Desk; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)

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