Premier says economic pressure makes action on reform, opening-up necessary

Premier Li Keqiang underlined the importance of expanding demand in the domestic market and fostering new growth points in the consumption of commodities and services as he presided over a symposium on the nation's economic performance on Monday.

At the symposium, held in Xi'an, Shaanxi province, Li said the government must give greater priority to stabilizing growth and maintaining major economic indicators within an appropriate range.

Li said the economy is faced with mounting downward pressure, including domestic demand remaining sluggish. He also cited problems such as rising food prices due to changing demand and supply and a lack of economic growth momentum in some areas.

China's manufacturing sector shrank for a fifth month in September, according to the National Bureau of Statistics, while activity in the nonmanufacturing sector slowed slightly from the previous month.

Li urged greater strides in reform, opening-up and innovation to drive growth, saying that the fostering of new demand for investment and consumption must focus on improving living standards.

The resilience of economic growth must be further enhanced to withstand the downward pressure, promote stable growth of jobs and maintain the stability of commodity prices, he said.

Tax and fee reduction policies and measures to reduce financing costs should be implemented in full, and countercyclical macroeconomic policy regulation should be used in a flexible way, he said. Anticipatory adjustments and fine-tuning must be stepped up, he added.

Li also called for better use of special bonds issued by local authorities to drive private investment, with the construction of major programs set to be accelerated to boost effective investment.

The country's central and western areas will receive support in undertaking industry transfers, and more measures will be adopted to reinvigorate online and offline markets, he said.

Li highlighted the need to scale up reforms to streamline administration and improve government compliance oversight and services.

He called on authorities to prioritize efforts to raise the level of innovative development for industries, develop internet uses for industry and promote the upgrading and transformation of manufacturing.

Ensuring agricultural production during autumn and winter will be another priority, and more work will be done to stabilize the price of meat, vegetables and other daily necessities, he added.