THE country will aim to achieve “a good start” in the first quarter for the economy, the country’s top economic planner said yesterday, signalling authorities could roll out more stimulus measures in the near term to counter slowing growth.

China will strengthen monitoring of its economic situation and improve its “reserve” of economic policies, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) said in a statement.

The world’s second-biggest economy slowed in 2018 as Chinese authorities carried out long-term structural adjustments to transition to a more gradual but sustainable growth trajectory.

Premier Li Keqiang said China achieved its key 2018 economic targets, which were “hard-worn,” and seeks a strong start to the economy in the first quarter to establish conditions helpful to meeting this year’s goals, according to television reports Monday.

A few analysts believe interest rate cuts are a possibility, but most expect China will refrain from massive stimulus measures like those deployed in the past.

“Both fiscal and monetary policy have been loosened over the past few months and this should start to feed through to the real economy by the second half of this year,” analysts at Capital Economics said in a note.(SD-Agencies)