China's real GDP growth, if the costs of ecological degradation and environmental pollution are taken out, is about 5 percent, Li Yang, deputy head of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told a conference on Saturday.

The costs of ecological degradation and environmental pollution accounted for 8 percent of the GDP during the 1980s and 1990s, and they dropped to about 4 percent since 2005, Li said, while emphasizing that the growth model is not sustainable.

China's GDP grew about 10 percent annually in the past three decades, but the growth rate will be less emphasized in the coming years, Li said.

Lowering costs and enhancing productivity will become more important for the country, Li said at the two-day Central Economic Work Conference over the weekend.

lijiabao@chinadaily.com.cn