Economy may rebound to 8.2% in 2013: experts

China's economic growth rebound may climb to as high as 8.2 percent in 2013, supported by steady investment expansion amid rebalancing of the country's industrial structure, economists predicted on Wednesday.

They forecast that GDP growth is likely to speed up next year and this may provide more room to deepen reform.

They were speaking at a forum sponsored by Caijing magazine.

Chen Dongqi, deputy head of the Macroeconomic Research Institute at the National Development and Reform Commission, said: "The fourth quarter's growth may bounce back to 7.8 percent from the three-year bottom of 7.4 percent in the third quarter."

The expansion rate for the year is likely to slow to 7.7 percent in 2012, the lowest since 2005, from 9.3 percent in 2011, Chen said.

He said the rebound will be based on increasing domestic demand for cars, houses and healthcare, as well as investment expansion in road and railway construction.

Cao Yuanzheng, chief economist with the Bank of China, said that exports in 2013 will not be able to lead growth of the world's second-largest economy, so China may still face downside risks.

"One of the effective prescriptions is to stabilize investment, in line with the government's goal to accelerate the urbanization process," he said.

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