MaasdorpexpectsrobustgrowthoftheChineseeconomydrivenbyconsumptioninthesecondhalfofthisyear,despiteapossible"bumpyperiod"inthefirsttwoquarters.

DAVOS,Switzerland,Jan.17(Xinhua)--TheChineseeconomyisheadingforstronggrowthin2023,VicePresidentoftheNewDevelopmentBank(NDB)LeslieMaasdorpsaidattheongoingWorldEconomicForum(WEF)inDavos,SwitzerlandonTuesday.

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MaasdorpsaidinaninterviewwithXinhuathatChina"srecentdecisiontoliftCOVID-19restrictionswilldriveeconomicgrowth,whichinturnwillhaveasnowballeffectonotheraspectsoftheeconomysuchasconsumption.

Althoughhepredicteda"bumpyperiod"inthefirstquarterofthisyear,andpotentiallyinthesecond,therearestrongexpectationsforrobustgrowthdrivenbyconsumptioninthesecondhalfoftheyear.

China"soptimizationofCOVIDpolicies"willhaveaverypositiveimpactbothforChinaandfortheworldeconomy,"Maasdorpsaid.ManybankshavealreadypredictedthatChinesegrowthfor2023willbemuchhigherthanoriginallyprojected.

Growingconsumptionandincreasedinvestorconfidencewillleadtoaconsumptionreboundandstrongereconomicgrowth,Maasdorpsaid.

Withaneconomyofabout18trillionU.S.dollars,Chinahasanimportantroletoplayintherecoveryoftheglobaleconomy,headded.

China"sgrossdomesticproduct(GDP)grew3percentyear-on-yeartoarecordhighof121.0207trillionyuan(18trillionU.S.dollars)in2022,datafromtheNationalBureauofStatistics(NBS)showedTuesday.

Asthesecond-largesteconomyintheworld,Chinesegrowthalsodrivesglobalgrowth.

"ArecoveryinChineseconsumptionwillhaveaverypositivespin-offfortheglobaleconomy,"Maasdorpsaid.

GrowthareasinChinaincludetourismandgreenindustries,hesaid."Chinaisoneofthelargestinvestorsingreenenergy,solarenergy,windenergy,inbatterystorage.Thosearehigh-growthsectors.Andwithnewincreasedinvestmentinthosesectors,itwillalsocontributeverypositivelytoglobalgrowth."

"EverybodyrecognizesthatChinahasaveryimportantroletoplayintheclimateagenda,"hesaid.

ManyeconomistshaveexpressedhopethatonceChinesecompaniesresumemanufacturingatpre-pandemiclevels,tradeflowswillbestimulatedandsupplychainsrestored.

Chinaalsohasacriticalroletoplayinboostingmultilateralcooperation,Maasdorpsaid.

"Withoutmultilateralcooperation,youcannotreallydealwithchallengesthatarecross-national...IbelievethattheonepositivelessonwecanlearnfromCOVIDisthatweareinterconnected,"hesaid.

China"ssuccessfuleradicationofabsolutepovertyis"oneofthebiggestachievementsofhumanity,"Maasdorpadded.

TheNDB,headquarteredinShanghai,isalenderestablishedbytheBRICSgroupofemergingnations(Brazil,Russia,India,ChinaandSouthAfrica)in2015.Itaimstobecomeaglobaldevelopmentbank,mobilizingresourcesforinfrastructureandsustainabledevelopment.