China's Economy Expanded 7.4% In The First Quarter  January Through March Down From The Previous Quarter's 7.7% Growth Rate And The Slowest Quarterly Pace In 18 Months. A Spokesperson For The National Bureau Of Statistics Described The Performance As Staying Within A Reasonable Range. Scott Kennedy. Director Of Indiana University's Research Center Of Chinese Politics & Business, Told VOA's Victor Beattie The Showdown Is Caused By A Recent Limit On Credit Expansion Something That Has Fueled Much Of China's Growth In The Past ... (Q&A Kennedy / Beattie) ... Julian Evans-Pritchard, China Economist At Singapore-Based Capital Economics, Says The Growth Figure Might Have Been Worse, Except For A Pickup In Investment Spending And Industrial Output In March. He Forecasts Slower Growth In The Next Quarter. Evans-Pritchard Says Policymakers In China Appear Comfortable With The Current Pace Of Growth. Last Week, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang Ruled Out A Big Stimulus Program Like The One Put In Place Following The 2008 Global Financial Downturn ... (Q&A Beattie / Evans-Pritchard) ... Gary Hufbauer Of The Washington-Based Peterson Institute For International Economics Says One Of China's Biggest Engines Of Growth Has Been Real Estate Investment, But That Such Investment Has Been Slowing Recently ... (Q&A Beattie / Hufbauer)