Government on course to achieve its growth and unemployment targets

THE SPOKESMAN for the National Bureau of Statistics said at a regular media briefing in Beijing on Wednesday that the economic data of the first two months of this year indicate that the country's economic growth is stabilizing and the good momentum will be extended this year. Beijing News comments:

Statistics from the bureau show investors' confidence has grown, with a 7.9-percent rise in fixed asset investment, and an 8.1-percent growth in private investment year-on-year, laying a solid foundation for the economy to grow robustly this year.

If this momentum continues, there should be enough confidence that China can meet its about 6.5-percent growth target for the year and create sufficient jobs to keep the employment rate under 5.5 percent this year, which Premier Li Keqiang stressed as the government's objectives in his work report earlier this month.