China's 'new normal' sees government apply brakes to accelerating economy

A slower pace seems like common sense after a decade of tremendous growth as Beijing tries to calm things down, but it depends on whom you ask

I just spent a week in China, where I participated in the Boao Asia Forum, a conference similar to the annual gathering of the World Economic Forum in Davos. The topic of my panel was what president Xi Jinping has called the Chinese economy's "new normal": an era of relatively slower growth, following three decades of double-digit economic expansion.

But what strikes me most about China's economy is how remarkable it is. Indeed, its performance continues to astound me. Though it undoubtedly faces plenty of challenges, the key question is how likely they are to bring down the economy.