On Thursday, the International Monetary Fund's number two, David Lipton, officially urged China to reduce its growth target to 7% from the current 7.5%.

上周四，国际货币基金组织(International Monetary Fund, 简称IMF)第一副总裁利普顿(David Lipton)以官方身份呼吁，中国应将今年的经济增速目标从当前的7.5%下调至7%。

That's a big deal because the annual growth target is used by Beijing to signal to the provinces whether to let growth slow as a way to incorporate reforms that might cause some short-term pain.

这是一件颇重要的大事，因为中央政府正是利用年度经济增速来指示各省份是否应该放慢经济步伐、贯彻可能引发短期痛苦的改革。

A seven-percent solution, in other words.

姑且将IMF的提议称为“7%的解决之道”。

But some media reported the IMF had reduced its estimate of how fast China would grow to 7% in 2015 from the 7.3% the IMF had last forecast.

据一些媒体报道称，IMF已经将中国2015年增速预期从7.3%下调至7%。

Two IMF officials said there has in fact been no change to the forecast. The officials said the IMF was making a pitch to Chinese leaders that they should be willing to live with somewhat slower growth. One way to do that would be to reduce the growth target, which is set early every year. But the IMF didn't make any adjustment to its forecast of what growth rate China would actually achieve.

不过两名IMF官员说，相关预期实际上并没变动。他们说，IMF确实建议中国领导人应当坦然接受放缓的增速，方式之一就是降低每年年初设立的增速目标；不过，IMF并未对中国未来实际增速相关预期做出任何调整。

'The headlines got ahead of reality,' said one of the officials.

其中一位官员说，那些媒体报道超出了事实情况。

IMF officials said that their Chinese counterparts listened to their lobbying over the growth target but were noncommittal. China doesn't start trying to put together that target until around December.

IMF官员说，中国官员已经听取了IMF有关降低增速目标的劝说，但态度含糊不明。

As for the IMF's view of China's growth next year, it remains 7.3%. But the officials noted, that could change when the fund completes its annual review of China and releases the report, probably in July.

IMF对于中国明年的经济增速预期仍旧是7.3%。不过官员们称，当IMF完成对于中国的年度评估，并发布相关报告时（时间点可能在7月），这一预期或许会生变。