ECONOMIC growth in some of China’s largest cities is expected to have slowed in 2016 and will continue to decelerate in 2017, according to official estimates issued Sunday.

    The southwestern metropolis of Chongqing, which has been the fastest-growing major city in recent years with expansion rates of more than 10 percent annually, will target growth of around 10 percent in 2017, compared with a preliminary figure of 10.7 percent for 2016, the city’s government said on its official microblog Sunday.

    In Shanghai, authorities will target growth of around 6.5 percent this year, easing from an estimated 6.7 percent in 2016, the official People’s Daily reported Sunday citing the city’s government.

    Despite the relatively robust figures for major cities, slowing growth in provinces and regions that are home to heavy industry is likely to have weighted on China’s economy last year.

    China’s statistics bureau is due to release nationwide gross domestic product data for 2016 on Jan. 20.(SD-Agencies)