STORY: Int'l business leaders, experts optimistic about China's economy
DATELINE: July 15, 2023
LENGTH: 00:02:04
LOCATION: Beijing
CATEGORY: ECONOMY

SHOTLIST:
1. various of China
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (English): HAMID RASHID, Lead author of World Economic Situation and Prospects 2023 mid-year report
3. SOUNDBITE 2 (English): MIWAKO ANDO, Executive officer of Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd.
4. SOUNDBITE 3 (English): SUAN YONG FOO, Senior Economist at ASEAN+3 Macroeconomic Research Office (AMRO)
5. SOUNDBITE 4 (English): STEPHEN PERRY, Chair of the 48 Group Club

STORYLINE:

China's economy maintained recovery momentum as consuming activities gained traction and innovation pushed up industrial upgrading in the past half year.

The mid-year update of the World Economic Situation and Prospects 2023, released by the United Nations, projected that China's economy will grow 5.3 percent this year, up from the 4.8 percent forecast in January.

Economic experts and business leaders from various countries have expressed their confidence in the growth prospects of China's economy.

SOUNDBITE 1 (English): HAMID RASHID, Lead author of World Economic Situation and Prospects 2023 mid-year report
"I think the Chinese economy is on a very strong footing, compared to many of the developed countries, also in the developing world. For China's growth rate in the near term, we see a very strong trajectory. So yes, we are confident about China's near-term economic prospects."

SOUNDBITE 2 (English): MIWAKO ANDO, Executive officer of Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd.
"I think the Chinese economy is recovering gradually. The Chinese market has a very big potential for all businesses."

SOUNDBITE 3 (English): SUAN YONG FOO, Senior Economist at ASEAN+3 Macroeconomic Research Office (AMRO)
"To be honest, I think that China's economic performance in the first half of this year has been actually quite creditable, with several signs of strength. We do expect China's GDP growth this year to be a fairly robust 5.5%. This is actually above the official target.
I think China's economic growth prospects are bright for the long term. I would believe that China can make further breakthroughs in sustaining robust growth and also strengthening the resilience of its economy over the long term."

SOUNDBITE 4 (English): STEPHEN PERRY, Chair of the 48 Group Club
"For the West, we have to participate in the Asian economy, and we have to recognize that at the center of the Asian economy is China. The world's business needs China. And the world's business will continue to find that China is a good place to be. The situation in the world right now is that China is offering a lot of opportunities for international companies to do good business. And the international companies are taking up those opportunities."

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Beijing.
(XHTV)