Premier Li highlights Asian integration, China's growth impetus
18:09, 11 April 2014
BOAO. KAZINFORM Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Thursday said China will forge ahead with other Asian countries, sharing weal and woe, to open up new vistas from Asia's development.
China's economy has got off to a stable and good start this year, Li said when delivering a keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) Annual Conference 2014 held in Boao, a coastal town in south China's Hainan province.
Li's remarks came as China's stumbling trade figures weighed on the market confidence over the country's economic strength, Xinhua reports. Exports slumped by 6.6 percent in March from a year ago and imports were down 11.3 percent, the General Administration of Customs said Thursday. Li assured his audience of over 1,000 Asian political and business leaders that China's development has strong resilience, despite downward pressure and difficulties.