Chinese GDP growth slowed to 6.1% in the first quarter of 2009, down from 10.6% in the same period in 2008. China, which is New Zealand's fourth largest trading partner, also experienced deflation for the second consecutive month, as consumer prices fell 1.2% in March from a year ago, following a 1.6% fall in February.

The GDP growth result was slightly below market expectations as reported by Bloomberg. Growth was the slowest in almost ten years and was down from 6.8% in the December quarter.

New Zealand Prime Minister John Key has been in China to discuss economic relations between the two countries. He was accompanied by seven leading New Zealand businessmen,  including Fonterra chairman Henry van der Heyden and Air New Zealand CEO Rob Fyfe. Here is a link to a speech Key made yesterday at Peking University.