According to Li, efforts made by other nations to keep the peace in the region must be respected to maintain stability in the waterway. (Photo : Xinhua)
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Wednesday expressed confidence that China will be able to achieve its economic development goals for 2015.
"We will be able to meet the main goals and tasks of economic and social development for this year," Li said while addressing a reception at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.
Li said that the sluggish world economy and mounting downward pressure at home has led the government to adopt an effective, range-based, targeted, and discretionary macro-regulation to ensure that the country's economy continues to move in a positive direction.
"The economy still operates within a reasonable range, with the quality of development further improved and systemic risks effectively checked," he said.
The premier also noted that, as the world's second largest economy, it would be difficult for China to maintain a growth rate of around 7 percent on the $10 trillion GDP baseline.
"Facing opportunities and challenges, we must bear in mind our mission and the great trust people have placed on us, meet people's expectations in our work of governance, and continue to push forward reform, opening-up and socialist modernization drive," Li added.
Li also urged for deeper government reforms across the board, opening up more to the outside world, participation in global competition, increased employment opportunities and more ways to raise household income.
The government must address people's difficulties to ensure that children from poor families will no longer have to drop out of school, ordinary citizens will not be driven into despair by serious illness, and young people, full of dreams to make innovation or to start their own business, will not be deprived of the opportunity because of unnecessary formalities, said Li.
The premier's remarks were made during an event commemorating the 66th founding anniversary of the People's Republic of China.
President Xi Jinping, Vice Premier Zhang Gaoili, and other senior Chinese officials were among the estimated 1,100 people who attended the event.
