Xi Jinping’s new regime chief minister admits China’s difficulties in meeting growth target

The new Prime Minister of ChinaLi Qiang, warned on Monday that “it will not be an easy task” for the country to achieve its economic growth target.

“I fear that reaching our growth target of around 5% will not be an easy task and will require us to redouble our effortsLi said at a press conference in Beijing.

The modest forecast “was determined after careful consideration of various factors,” Li told local and international media who arrived at the closing session of the National People’s Congress (NPC), China’s top legislature.

He warned againstmany new challengesfor growth, although he added that people don’t know China’s GDP numbers. Rather, he says, they care more about “specific issues that are close to them”, such as housing, employment, income, education and health.

Li, a close ally of President Xi Jinping, was confirmed as prime minister in a unanimous PNA vote on Saturday. His ruling predecessor was Li Keqiang, who held the post for Xi’s first decade in power.

Before leaving the post, Li Keqiang announced at the opening of the PNA that China is aiming for economic growth “of around 5%” this year.

The second largest economy in the world it rose just 3% last year, one of the lowest levels in decadesdue to the impact of covid-19 restrictions and a crisis in the property sector.

Li Qiang also criticized the “siege” and “repression” of his country by the United States, in a context of heightened tensions with Washington.

“China and the United States can and should cooperate. If we cooperate, we can achieve great thingsasserted Li, after adding that “encirclement and repression are not a solution”.

Li’s comments marked the end of more than a week of high-level meetings in Beijing.

President Xi, who has been confirmed for a historic third term as head of the Chinese government, stressed at the closing session of the PNA the need to strengthen national security. “Security is the foundation of development, while stability is a prerequisite for prosperity,” Xi said.

“We should fully promote the modernization of national defense and armed forces, and transform the people’s armed forces into a Great Wall of Steel that effectively safeguards the interests of national sovereignty, security and development,” he said. -he adds.

Mr Xi, 69, thanked the thousands of delegates at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing for the appointment, vowing to “take the needs of the country as my mission and the interests of the people as my measure”.

He also called for consolidation of stability in Hong Kong and reunification with the self-governing island of Taiwan, which Beijing considers part of its territory.

“The people’s trust is the biggest force that drives me, and it’s also a big responsibility on my shoulders,” he said.

(With information from AFP)

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