BANGKOK -- The World Bank downgraded its annual growth forecast for the Asia-Pacific, a region buoyed by Vietnam but not by enough to offset China's slowing economy.
In its latest economic forecast published Tuesday, the bank sharply downgraded China's growth to 2.8% from 5% in April. That slowed the region's forecast expansion to 3.2% for this year, down from 5% growth projected in April. The report covers East Asia, Southeast Asia and the Pacific islands, but excludes Japan and the two Koreas.