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BEIJING, March 7-- Already a major driving force for the world economy, China is poised to make greater contributions with its reaffirmed commitment to economic rebalancing. In a report on government work earlier this week, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang pledged to strengthen the fundamental role of consumption in driving economic growth, open China's market wider and defend free and fair trade. Experts believe these efforts will inject new impetus into China's growth and further boost the global economy. "With a population of 1.3 billion, China's economic modernization will have a huge spillover effect on more robust, sustainable, balanced and inclusive global economic growth," said Zhang Zhanbin, a researcher with the Chinese Academy of Governance. China's economy, once heavily reliant on fixed-asset investment and exports, is increasingly fueled by services and consumption. Official data showed that consumption contributed 58.8 percent of GDP, and the service sector accounted for 51.6 percent. China now has the largest middle-income group in the world, with a population of about 400 million, and it is growing fast. Wang Yiming, deputy director of the Development Research Center of the State Council, expected the group to have stronger and more sophisticated consumer demands. "This year, China's retail sales are projected to surpass those in the United States in another sign of China's transformation from a 'world factory' into a 'world marketplace,'" Wang said. | 
