IMF keeps China 2026 GDP forecast at 4.5% but warns of risks to growth

XIAN: The International Monetary Fund maintained its economic growth forecast for China at 4.5% this year but warned of risks from weak domestic demand and a slowing global economy as it published its annual review of the Chinese economy for 2025 on Wednesday.

IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva told reporters in Beijing in December that she had urged Chinese policymakers to make the “brave choice” of speeding up structural reform and reducing the $19 trillion economy’s reliance on exports, during a press conference at the end of the Fund’s discussions with the Chinese government over the 2025 report.