Q2 growth forecast at 11.4%

China's economy is likely to grow 11.4% in the second quarter according to a projection made by a top Beijing think-tank. The State Information Center (SIC), a think-tank under the State Development and Reform Commission, said the high growth rate was skewed by the effects of the SARS epidemic in the second quarter of 2003. The SIC said that if growth was adjusted for SARS, the rate comes down to 9.5%, or slightly lower than in the first quarter of 2004.