However, the pace of growth had slowed successively from 8.1 percent in the first quarter of 2012, to 7.6 percent in the second, then down slightly again in the third.
Despite the slowing pace, the country still attached greater significance to improving the quality of economic development by pursuing a healthier growth pattern, rather than blindly introducing stimulus in an effort to maintain alluring figures.
"The economy should maintain sustained and sound development. Major progress should be made in changing the growth model," according to a report to the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) in November.
The determination was echoed by a statement issued after a meeting of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee on Tuesday, which noted that Chinese authorities will put "enhancing quality and efficiency of economic growth front and center" next year.
One way of reaching that goal is to push forward urbanization, which will replace the property sector and provide major impetus for a "de-property-ized" economy, according to Yi. This will be a major fine-tuning made by the country's new policy makers.
Accordingly, China will not see stunning expansion in its gross domestic product but will see a much-improved economic growth model in the next year, he added.
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