Hard landing 'unlikely despite a bumpy road'

China will stage its largest annual political event - the "two sessions" - in less than 10 days. China Daily takes a close look at a series of hot topics and catchphrases for the sessions.

Today's catchphrase - the New Normal: In the past few years, the Chinese government has pledged more economic reforms and a transition to a more sustainable economic model - often described as the New Normal. Under this model, economic growth will be moderately slower than the double-digit figures seen in the past three decades. Growth will be safer and more sustainable as it relies more on services and consumption, and less on commodity-intensive investment and manufacturing. However, the government has reiterated that GDP growth should be kept within a reasonable range to prevent a hard landing and should also offer room for reforms. Economists widely believe that the range should be between 6.5 and 7 percent.

The Chinese economy is on a bumpy road but stronger than-expected January data suggest that a hard landing is unlikely, according to analysts.