Senior resident representative of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to China, Il Houng Lee, has said the Chinese economy was fundamentally "still very robust" and the IMF has maintained its projection of China's economic growth in 2010 at 10.5 percent.

In an interview with Xinhua in Hong Kong, where Lee was delivering a speech on economic outlook on Asia and China for 2010 at the invitation of the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce, Lee said China's economic slowdown in the second quarter this year was widely expected and could continue in the third and fourth quarters.

Lee also said the Chinese economy was faced with domestic and international uncertainties but there was room and flexibility for the Chinese government to fine tune its policies, if necessary in the future.

Lee's remarks echoed an assessment by the IMF Executive Directors, released on Tuesday, after an IMF mission had finished the annual consultation with China.

"Growth is expected to continue to be robust, ... Directors commended the Chinese authorities for their commitment to the G-20 framework for strong, sustainable, and balanced growth," the assessment said.