Premier Li: Move forward, change for the better

World
Europe

The State Council's second plenary meeting, chaired by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Monday, discussed a report on the government's work in the past year and deployed economic tasks for the first quarter of 2019.

Li said it is an important duty stipulated by the constitution that the State Council should report to the National People's Congress and be supervised by the people, adding that a well-generated government work report has long been proven effective in uniting people's will, intelligence, and power.

Last year, China basically fulfilled its main economic growth target, with "generally stable" economic operation, "relatively steady" indicator fluctuations, "higher rate" of employment, and "constantly improved" living standards.

However, Li cautioned that downward pressure on economic growth is on the rise, with a host of tough challenges ahead.

"We must move forward while maintaining stability and pushing ahead with supply-side reform. We should unlock market vitality via range-based macro regulation, directional adjustment, and further opening-up," Li added.

Li also made clear that business climate ought to be further improved to nurture new growth drivers, and the domestic market should be further expanded while spurring coordinated growth, thus laying a decisive groundwork for building a moderately well-off society in an all-round way.

The tougher the situation may seem, the more the government should do to better fulfill its responsibilities, Li said. "Government officials from top to bottom should be mindful of potential dangers and shore up market confidence via implementing preferential policies."