2nd LD-Writethru: China's Jan.-April fixed asset investment up 12 pct

China's fixed asset investment rose 12 percent from a year earlier to 12 trillion yuan (1.96 trillion U.S. dollars) in the first four months, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said on Wednesday.

The increase slowed from the 13.5-percent growth registered in the first quarter (Q1).

The calculation does not include fixed-asset investment by farmers. It includes projects with investment of at least 5 million yuan, as well as all property development projects.

In the first four months, fixed-asset investment in primary industry grew most rapidly, up 26.4 percent year on year to 271.2 billion yuan. The figure is 6.4 percentage points lower than that recorded in Q1.

Fixed-asset investment in secondary industry saw 9.8-percent growth year on year to 4.92 trillion yuan. Growth dropped 1.2 percentage points from the first three months.

Fixed-asset investment in tertiary industry grew 13.2 percent year on year to 6.81 trillion yuan. Growth was 1.5 percentage points lower than the Q1 level.

Despite the generally slowing growth, some high-tech and key sectors appeared more robust due to favorable policies, said NBS senior analyst Wang Baobin.

Infrastructure investment surged more than 20 percent, money for computer and electronic equipment jumped around 19 percent, investment in wind and solar power soared around 70 percent, while that for research and development grew more than 23 percent, Wang said.

In addition, private investment jumped 12.7 percent to 7.84 trillion yuan, accounting for more than 65.3 percent of the country's total fixed asset investment.

China's gross domestic product expanded 7 percent year on year in the first quarter, down from the 7.3 percent registered in the fourth quarter of 2014.

Slower growth in fixed-asset investment, which used to be a strong engine for China's fast economic growth, is seen as a key factor in the slower GDP growth. Endi