国家统计局局长马建堂近日在传达温家宝总理重要讲话时指出：国际金融危机还在进一步加深，它对实体经济的影响也在不断显现，而中国经济受国际金融危机影响的严重程度远远超出了许多人的预期，加上中国经济自身也在客观上面临着周期性调整，这些因素叠加，使中国经济面临着巨大的下行压力。目前情况下，一方面要务必保持信心，同时，我们又要有忧患意识，做到未雨绸缪，主动积极应对各种困难和挑战。

The effect of the global financial tsunami¹ on China "is worse than expected", Premier² Wen Jiabao was quoted as saying by the National Bureau of Statistics Director Ma Jiantang when he briefed his staff on Tuesday.

It is the first time the premier's personal evaluation³ of the situation was made public after the central government announced last Sunday a 4 trillion yuan ($586 billion) stimulus⁴ package to boost the economy.

Caution was also a key feature in the latest warning from the State-owned Assets Supervision⁵ and Administration Commission (SASAC) to large State-owned enterprises (SOEs).

In an emergency briefing to top SOE executives, minister Li Rongrong told them not to rush into overseas mergers⁶ and acquisitions.

"Hold your cash," he was quoted as saying yesterday. "Don't rush. There will be plenty of opportunities in the future."

With much of the stimulus package already in the implementation⁷ process, World Bank chief economist⁸ Justin Lin told China Daily yesterday that he thinks the country is capable of achieving 8-9 percent GDP growth in 2009 and 2010, while helping⁹ the economies in the region and the world at large.

In a background paper for the weekend's G20 financial summit in Washington DC, the World Bank forecast that annual growth of developing countries will fall to 4.5 percent in 2009, down from 6.4 percent, while the global growth rate will only be 1 percent.

"If China can maintain its dynamic growth, I think the world will find it much easier to fight this global recession," Lin said, noting that China's growth would generate high demand for imports and a large market for suppliers.

World Bank Group President Robert Zoellick said in an earlier press conference on Tuesday that China had set an excellent example in tackling the financial crisis in a very constructive¹⁰ way. "It's an example of some of the things I've been suggesting to various countries " said Zoellick.

The Chinese government has said it is ready to contribute directly to the global anti-crisis efforts.