China promises steps to boost economy (AP) BEIJING - China's Cabinet says the economy is slowing further and has promised to boost growth by encouraging private investment in energy and other industries. The Cabinet said Wednesday that "downward pressure on the economy is increasing" and it promised to increase domestic demand to reverse the slowdown. The Cabinet said it would expand private investment in state-dominated fields such as energy, telecommunications and railways but gave no details. China's economic growth fell to a three-year low of 8.1 percent in the first quarter and has weakened further since then. Growth in factory production in April plunged to its lowest level since the 2008 global crisis.