Recent indicators have shown possible signs of slower growth in the early part of 2014: growth of industrial production slowed; retail sales and passenger vehicle sales moderated; and fixed asset investment growth was a little lower in January and February, though quite stable in year-ended terms.
Given that the growth target was more than met last year, and given that the Chinese New Year holiday period makes it more difficult to assess trends in the data, it may be a little too early to draw strong conclusions. Spot prices for steel and iron ore have fallen lately though, on movements to date, seem within the range seen in recent years.