Dominique Strauss-Kahn, managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), said Friday that although there was some impact from US sub-prime mortgage crisis on China, the IMF still expects the Chinese economy to expand by 10 percent this year.

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao shakes hands with Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Thursday afternoon in Beijing. [Xinhua]

Strauss-Kahn made the remarks at a press conference one day after his arrival to Beijing, the first visit for him as as managing director of the IMF.

Focusing on concerns about the current situation for the global economy in his discussions with the Chinese officials, Strauss-Kahn stressed again that the fast-growing emerging economies like China and India could not "decoupled" from poor growth prospects in the United States and Europe, and immune from the financial crisis.

"The current financial crisis, which began in the United States housing market, is spreading to affect the real economy in the U.S. and elsewhere," said Strauss-Kahn, noting that no region will escape entirely unscathed since both the industrial economies and the emerging economies are closely linked with trade and financial market.

But Strauss-Kahn also expressed his strong beliefs that despite impact from the financial crisis, the emerging economies like China and India are still full of vigor.

"We still expect China's economy to expand by 10 percent this year, and India's economy to growth by about eight percent." he said.