CANBERRA, April 4 (Xinhua) -- Former Australian Prime Minister Bob Hawke said on Friday that he has every reason to believe that China will maintain its economic growth.

In a telephone interview with Xinhua before his visit to attend the Bo'ao Forum of Asia in China's Hainan Province, Hawke said he is confident that Chinese leaders will adapt to new external environment.

"The success of China is the leaders of China's great deal of skill and adaptability to changing circumstances, and that forwards China consistently through changing external economic circumstances."

Hawke said China is now switching the emphasis from export- oriented economy to domestic consumption-driven economy. Based on China's past success in adapting to changing environment, he has " no reason to believe it won't work again."

Hawke noted that the driving forces behind China's growth has not gone away.

"A lot of the Asian economies are coming from a low economic base as did in China. The achievement of China has been absolutely remarkable in a period since 1978 with the opening-up and moves towards market economy," he said.

"The forces that motivated China and underpinned the historical pace of growth have not gone away. And that's been important not just for China but for the countries of Asia which have benefited from China's growth," said Hawke.

He believed that a 7.5 percent annual growth rate of Chinese economy, though a slowdown compared to double digit growth rate experienced in China in the past decade, is "something the rest of the world would kill for."

"China's contribution to the region is kept growing it's own economy...All the Asian boats (are) lifted with China because there are very significant demand from China for raw materials and semi-finished materials. The best thing that China can do to help the region is to help itself and grow itself."