China’s economic growth will probably be slower than the World Bank estimates, Dow Jones reported, citing Bert Hofman, the Washington-based lender’s chief economist for East Asia and Pacific.

The slowdown in China is happening more rapidly than the World Bank expected and expansion may be less than the 8.4 percent the development lender has projected, according to the report published on the website of the Wall Street Journal, citing Hofman in Singapore today.

Developing East Asia could expand 7.5 percent to 7.8 percent this year, from 8.2 percent in 2011, Hofman was cited as saying.

To contact the reporter on this story: Shamim Adam in Singapore at sadam2@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Stephanie Phang at sphang@bloomberg.net