China’s GDP growth for 2018 is forecasted at around 6.8 percent, according to a report from the Institute of International Finance of Bank of China (BOC) on March 28, China News Agency reported.

The growth was predicted at 6.7 percent by BOC at the end of 2017. Forecasts for the country’s GDP growth in the first quarter of this year put it at 6.9 percent, while in the second quarter it may be around 6.8 percent.

Growth in industry, consumption, investment and export, key economic area indicators, speed up in the first three months of this year, influenced by strong exterior demands, growth of new drivers, and the picking up of real estate sector and private investment.

In the second quarter, the country’s economy will grow steadily, with new growth drivers continuing to emerge and rapid growth, and consumption gaining policy support, said Zhou Jingtong, a senior researcher with the international finance institute of BOC.