China's economy has bottomed out from the worst time and was in the crucial period of stabilization and recovery,

Yao Jingyuan, Chief Economist with China's National Bureau of Statistics, said Saturday.

Yao maid the remarks at the on-going 2009 International Forum on Chinese Automotive Industry Development held in Tianjin, adding that the worst time for Chinese economy was between last November and this February.

Despite the sign of life, Chinese economy still faced uncertainties, as the world's third largest economy growth was mainly boosted by investment, not consumption, he added.

Official figures showed that investment contributed 6.2 percentage points to China's 7.1 percent year-on-year gross domestic product (GDP) growth in the first half, and consumption did 3.8 percentage points. Exports, sliding for eight straight months, dragged down growth by 2.9 percentage points.

"It is not difficult for China to keep the relatively fast economic growth momentum, but what is really hard is to improve the industrial structure," Yao said, adding that the country should take advantage of the global economic downturn to enhance its innovation capabilities.

(Xinhua News Agency September 5, 2009)