BEIJING - China's economic expansion slowed to 7.8 percent year-on-year in 2012 amid external jitters and domestic woes, data from the National Bureau of Statistics showed Friday.

The growth rate, the weakest expansion in a decade, was down from 9.3 percent in 2011 and 10.4 percent in 2010.

The economy's fourth-quarter growth quickened to 7.9 percent on government pro-growth measures. The rate ended a seven-straight-quarter slowdown.

In 2012, the gross domestic product reached 51.93 trillion yuan ($8.28 trillion).

The government pared the full-year growth target for 2012 to 7.5 percent from 8 percent in early 2012.

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