China's consumption growth likely to slow further in 2019: commerce ministry

BEIJING (Reuters) - Consumption growth in China is likely to slow further this year, a commerce ministry official said on Tuesday, adding that slower growth last year was due to "periodic" weak car sales and housing-related spending.

However, retail sales this year would still be growing at a steady, relatively fast pace, Wang Bin, a commerce ministry official told reporters during a briefing.

(Reporting by Yawen Chen and Beijing Monitoring Desk; Editing by Jacqueline Wong)