China premier says downward pressure on economy still increasing: state radio

BEIJING (Reuters) - Pressure on China's economy is increasing, and the country must prepare to face bigger economic difficulties, Premier Li Keqiang was reported as saying by Chinese state radio on Tuesday.

The comments came a day before the scheduled release of first-quarter GDP figures. Growth data is likely to show the economy grew at 7 percent in the first three months of the year compared to the corresponding 2014 period, a Reuters poll showed.

(Reporting by Judy Hua and Kevin Yao; Editing by Nicholas Heath and Clarence Fernandez)