REUTERS
China's National People's Congress has set the country's growth target for 2016 at a lower range of 6.5%-7% as the country's Premier Li Keqiang made the announcement in his opening speech, warning of a "difficult battle" ahead, BBC News reported on Saturday.
"China will face more and tougher problems and challenges in its development this year, so we must be fully prepared to fight a difficult battle," Mr Li told delegates on Saturday, according to BBC News.
Last year, China's goal was "about 7%". The economy actually grew by 6.9% - the lowest expansion in 25 years.
Mr Li also said that China was targeting consumer inflation at "around 3%" and unemployment "within 4.5%".
Read alsoChina rating outlook cut to negative by Moody'sMeanwhile, the country's defence spending will be raised by 7.6%, the state-run Xinhua news agency reports, citing a budget report.
China's congress is a highly choreographed, largely rubber stamp affair, but Premier Li's opening address can at least be gleaned for clues about the overall direction of policy, the BBC's John Sudworth in Beijing reports.
There was plenty of talk about "painful rebalancing", the need to reform inefficient state-owned enterprises and to cut overcapacity - but for many, this speech will look a lot like business as usual: a commitment to growth at all costs, our correspondent adds.
The party congress is also expected to approve a new five-year plan, a legacy of the communist command economy.