According government officials China's top economic policy makers will meet next week to decide how to secure growth of at least 8% outpacing the World Bank's more pessimistic forecast.

Officials said the annual Central Economic Work Conference, scheduled for Monday through Wednesday, will tackle ways to implement the recently adopted expansive fiscal policy and "moderately easy monetary policy. Also on Tuesday, the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences predicted that China's economy could sustain growth of around 9 percent next year because of the concerted world effort to counter the financial crisis.

Annual growth in gross domestic product slowed to 9% in the third quarter and is expected to end the year at about the same level, compared with last year's 11.9%. The minimum growth rate that China needs to absorb the millions of people entering the workforce every year is widely regarded to be 8%.

The top priority for next year is to maintain steady economic growth, said officials attending a recent preliminary meeting for the yearly economic summit. They noted that the central government has set next year's economic growth target at above 8%.

The meeting was attended by members of the Communist Party of China's politburo.