Premier Li Keqiang said on Friday that he will make persistent efforts to conscientiously perform duty and take solid steps to live up to promises in the last year of his premiership as he took questions from the media after the conclusion of the fifth session of the 13th National People's Congress.

This year is also the last year in the current term of the Chinese government.

Li said that since the formation of this government, there has been much complexity and change in the international environment and the biggest challenge is the COVID-19 pandemic, which dealt a heavy blow to China's economy.

"In response, we have not just settled for the easy or shied away from difficult. Instead, we have put in our greatest efforts," he said.

Recalling his first news conference as premier, which was held in the same place, Li said he had then laid out the basic tasks and missions for the government, which were maintaining economic development, improving people's lives and promoting social fairness.

"This is what we have been doing consistently and diligently throughout the years," he said, noting that the government has followed innovative approaches to exercising governance, from adopting a range-based approach in dealing with cyclical fluctuations in economic activity to implementing an employment-first policy.

"We are also aware that while our people are happy with some aspects of the government's work, there are also areas in the government's work that are falling short of our people's expectations," the premier said, adding that he and his colleagues will work persistently to perform their duty and live up to their promises.