China's machinery industry to maintain slow growth

China's machinery industry is likely to grow at a slow pace in the fourth quarter, impacted by the country's economic slowdown, a leading expert said Sunday.

Cai Weici, vice president of the China Machinery Industry Federation (CMIF), said at a news briefing that the industry had experienced a persistent downward trend since the beginning of the year.

This has been illustrated by all major indices, including value-added output, profits and fixed asset investment.

The machinery industry's value-added output grew by 8.6 percent in the first nine months, 1.3 percentage points lower than the average growth rate of all industries during the same period, according to federation data.

A poll showed that orders received by companies tracked by the CMIF dropped 0.35 percent year-on-year during the first three quarters, indicating that the sector is still facing weak demand.

"At present, the growth rate of the sector is basically at its slowest level, but it is not likely to see any large further declines in the future," Cai said

He predicted that the industry will maintain the low level of growth in the fourth quarter.

China's economy grew by 7.4 percent year-on-year in the third quarter, slowing for the seventh straight quarter and down from 7.6 percent in the second quarter and 8.1 percent in the first quarter, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.