March 3 (Bloomberg) -- China’s economy may grow 8 percent this year, said Jia Kang, head of the Institute of Fiscal Science at the Ministry of Finance.

His earlier estimate that 2009 gross domestic product could be 30 trillion yuan ($4.4 trillion) was intended as a rough figure, not an exact one, Jia said today. He spoke to reporters at a meeting in Beijing of the advisory body to the nation’s legislature.

To contact the reporter on this story: Zhao Yidi in Beijing at at yzhao7@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: March 3, 2009 04:08 EST