US slowdown to see China growth cool

China's economic growth will slip below 10% in 2007, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) has predicted, according to an AFP report. The planning agency believes the slowdown will be driven by a cooling in the US economy, which will hit Chinese exports. But it did observe that weakening prices for oil and other raw materials would likely work in China's favor. The 2007 growth prediction matches the figures being put forward by investment banks, which expect sub-10% growth despite recently revising their projections upwards. Deutsche Bank upgraded from 8.9% to 9.5% while JP Morgan went from 9% to 9.5%. The NDRC expects the Chinese economy, which recorded 10.7% growth in the first nine months of 2006, to post a full-year rate of 10.6% for 2006.