Premier confident over economic growth

BEIJING - Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said on Tuesday that China is confident of maintaining sound and stable economic growth this year through further reform and opening up.

"We are capable of continuing to achieve good results," Li said in a seminar with over 70 foreigners working in China.

China's economy grew 7.7 percent in 2013, the same as in 2012, overshooting the government target of 7.5 percent.

Gross domestic product increased nearly 5 trillion yuan ($826.4 billion), nearly equivalent to the yearly economic aggregate of 1994.

It is really difficult for China, the world's second-largest economy with huge economic aggregate, to realize such a growth at a high speed, Li said.

He noted that facing the anemic recovery of the world economy and downward pressure on the Chinese economy last year, China made coordinated efforts to stabilize growth, adjust structure and promote reform, and adopted an innovative macroeconomic management approach.

"We realized the main targets for last year's economic and social development," Li said.

The premier also spoke highly of the role played by foreign talents in China's reform, opening up and modernization, and vowed to provide better services for their work and life in China.

China will make greater efforts to promote self-dependent innovation, and actively introduce foreign talents. The country welcomes their continued participation in and promotion of its reform and opening up, he said.

With the Chinese Lunar New Year around the corner, Li also extended New Year's greetings to the foreign talents and their families.