China confident it can keep growth in ‘appropriate range’ in 2019: Li Keqiang

Beijing : China is confident it can keep the economic growth rate within an “appropriate range” in 2019 despite multiple challenges, Premier Li Keqiang has said.
“China’s economy has enough resilience, potential and ample room for growth, especially with a huge domestic market and rich human resources of nearly 1.4 billion people. Therefore, we are fully confident and capable of keeping economic growth rate within an appropriate range in spite of multiple risks and challenges in 2019,” Li told foreign experts here, news agency Xinhua reported.
His remarks came during a discussion with some foreign experts working in China at the Great Hall of the People in downtown Beijing prior to the Chinese Lunar New Year, which falls on February 5 this year. China’s economy, the world’s second largest, grew 6.6 percent year on year to reach 90.0309 trillion yuan (about $13.28 trillion) in 2018, above the official target of around 6.5 percent, according to data issued by the National Bureau of Statistics on Monday.
“The growth rate of 6.6 percent is hard-won, as it is on the basis of China’s very high economic output, fairly sufficient employment and continuous improvement of environment,” said Li.
China will forge ahead with reforms unswervingly and inspire the vitality and creativity of some 100 million market entities, Li said.
He said China will further streamline administration, delegate more power, strengthen regulation, provide better services, reduce taxes and fees on a larger scale, further ease market access and provide a business environment of fair competition.