Li encourages a positive outlook

Premier takes fact-finding trip to drum up confidence about country's economic track

With a cold snap sweeping across most parts of China - as well as its economy - Premier Li Keqiang traveled on Thursday to the country's northeastern rust belt to offer reassurance and drum up confidence.

In his first fact-finding trip after annoucing the slowest annual growth since the financial crisis, around 7 percent, Li visited an urban rail construction site after his arrival in Changchun, the capital of Jilin province known for its heavy industries, such as automobile and rail manufacturing.