Forum discusses China's economic growth

Guo Liyan, director of the Comprehensive Situation Research Office of the Academy of Macroeconomic Research, expects retail sales to expand at a pace of 7 percent this year.

Consumption remains a bright spot in the Chinese economy to robustly drive the growth momentum, she said.

She also expects that China's price levels have bottomed out, and will gradually improve. The consumer price index, a main gauge of inflation, will recover slightly in the fourth quarter, she said.