The Chinese parliament has met here in Beijing to discuss a number of issues including economic growth targets and military spending plans. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang has announced that the target for growth exceeds 6% of GDP.
Some analysts consider this to be a somewhat conservative figure, as it is 7% or 8% below the expected figure. Last year, due to the devastating impact of Covid-19 and the outbreak here, China did not give a target for GDP, it ended up growing about 2.3% over the year.
Li stressed the importance of job stability, saying the country would increase job opportunities, and pledged to create at least 11 million new jobs in urban areas this year. Officials also announced that military spending would rise by 6.8%, or $ 208 billion.
For his part, Chinese President Xi Jinping pledged to complete the modernization of the Chinese armed forces by 2035. There is also a big push here for China to abandon its dependence on the United States, especially for some key technologies. Officials announced that they would focus on innovation by spending more money on research and development.
And finally, there was a strong mention of tackling climate change and establishing policies to protect the environment by reducing emissions here. China aims to be carbon neutral by 2060, but it is a difficult target given that China uses more coal than the rest of the world combined.
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