New team committed to Party’s grand goals

The one-and-a-half-hour-long news conference of Premier Li Qiang on the concluding day of the annual session of the 14th National People’s Congress, China’s top legislature, on March 13 was both revealing and reassuring for China watchers.

Revealing because President Xi Jinping continues to be at the helm and the world is familiar with his style and substance of leadership.

Since the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China in October, however, the world had been speculating about the new leadership team of China’s State bodies and who would lead the State Council, China’s Cabinet, for the next five years or more.

The news conference on March 13 was the first time the world saw China’s new premier address such a large gathering of domestic and international journalists.

Together with four vice-premiers, Li faced questions with the grit and grace needed to lead the State Council at this important juncture as China could become the world’s largest economy during his tenure.

The news conference was also reassuring because Li appeared at ease in his new position — confident about showing his pragmatic approach — as he said that his team faces “many new challenges” and that the growth rate of 5 percent will not be an easy task to achieve.

He, however, said that people “don’t fix their sights every day” on growth rates but on “specific issues close to them” which include their concerns about unemployment, education, health and housing.

Saying that the higher number of college graduates this year will put extra pressure on the job market, he asserted that “developing the economy is the fundamental solution for creating jobs”.