Growth in private cars, motorbikes slows in China

Growth in privately owned cars and motorcycles slowed markedly in China last year, the government said Monday, in yet another sign of the impact of the global crisis on the world's fourth biggest economy.

China had about 129 million private cars and motorcycles in 2008, an increase of 6.4 percent from the year before, the ministry of public security said in a statement posted on its website.

This compared with a rate of growth of 10.9 percent in 2007, the ministry said.

The ministry did not give a reason for the slowdown, but the data seemed to fit with other figures showing a slowing auto market in China.

China's auto sales fell 14.6 percent in November from the same month a year earlier, according to industry association figures.

China's economy is under huge pressure due to the global crisis, with overall growth in the third quarter at nine percent, the lowest in more than five years.

The World Bank has forecast that growth in the Chinese economy will slow to 7.5 percent in 2009, the lowest in 19 years.

According to the public security ministry, China had 87.3 million private motorcycles and 41.7 million private cars in 2008.