China's economy is expected to grow on average 7.6 percent a year until 2020, English-language newspaper China Daily reported on Thursday.

The rate is lower than during the 1978-2004 period, when growth averaged 9.4 percent, the paper said, quoting experts attending a two-day international conference on China's development strategies.

The estimation was given by experts from the State Information Center, a major data provider for the State Development and Reform Commission.

The center also forecast that China's economy will grow at 8 percent annually in the coming five years.

The State Council Development Research Center, the central government's leading think-tank, also believed that the economy will see an annual 8.1 percent growth during the 2006-2010 period.

The conference was jointly sponsored by the United Nations Development Program (China) and the State Development and Reform Commission.

Source: China Daily