GDP target for 2023 a positive sign of high-quality development, experts say

The two sessions have exhibited that China is dedicated to promoting green development and global health security, experts said, adding that the GDP target set for 2023 sends a positive signal for high-quality growth.

Dicky Budiman, an epidemiologist at Griffith University in Australia, said he sees the Chinese government's work agenda in 2023 in a positive light, especially in the aspect of international diplomacy, as it shows that Beijing will actively support global health security, among other things.

"This is very important because China has a strategic position in (regard to) the world's security, not only due to its huge population, but also due to the economic status and political role that it has enjoyed at the global level," Budiman said.

Khalid Taimur Akram, executive director of the Pakistan Research Center for a Community with Shared Future, Islamabad, said that as the world is facing "horrendous challenges in the shape of climate change and pandemic", China is keen on adopting clean energies.

"For this purpose, China is improving carbon reduction and energy conservation," he said.

He cited facts from the annual work report from the Chinese government that showed that in cities at and above the prefectural level, the air quality was good or excellent on 86.5 percent of the days over the past five years, a 4-percentage-point improvement over the previous five-year period.

Yersultan Zhanseitov, a senior expert at the Institute of World Economics and Politics in Kazakhstan, said the two sessions and the Government Work Report are important windows for observers to gain a deeper understanding of the Chinese path to modernization and keep pace with China's future development. The report delivered by Premier Li Keqiang on March 5 emphasized high-quality and green development.

Agshin Aliyev, an Azerbaijani Sinologist, said the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation is the expectation of ordinary people. The Chinese government is made up of experienced politicians and administrators who understand the feelings of the people and work for the benefit of the people.

Bart Edes, distinguished fellow at the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada, said the Chinese government is trying to strike a balance between its commitment to achieving net-zero emissions by 2060 and its need for stable and secure energy supplies.

Edes said the optimization of COVID-19 policies has stimulated a surge in consumption and business activity in China that makes the government's growth target of around 5 percent for 2023"look achievable — and perhaps even conservative".

"Last month, the purchasing managers index for the manufacturing industry reached its highest level in more than 10 years," he said.

Budiman from Australia added that China's success in dealing with COVID-19 prevents new suffering that could threaten the global health situation, and provides optimism for people worldwide that the pandemic may near its end this year.

"We will enter a new phase of COVID-19 which is either endemic or small outbreaks, (but) under control," he said.

'Pragmatic approach'

Fu Xiaolan, fellow of the British Academy of Social Sciences and director of the Technology and Management Center for Development at the University of Oxford, said China's GDP growth target was "slightly lower" than what she had expected.

"I think it's an honest, pragmatic approach toward China's growth," she said at a panel discussion during the 10th Oxford China Forum held at Oxford University on Sunday. The target suggests that authorities are aiming for high-quality development rather than pursuing pure high growth, she added.

Tianchen Xu, an economist at the Economist Intelligence Unit, said achieving the 5 percent GDP growth target should not be difficult, "given the low base of comparison last year and the robust recovery we're seeing now".

He said that he would not regard the relatively conservative GDP target as being an indication of government "pessimism", and suggested that the actual growth could come in far higher.

Such growth of China will be conducive to global rebound with increasing international cooperation, not only in economic and trade fields, but also educational and cultural exchanges which bring tangible benefits to the people, Aliyev from Azerbaijan added.

He Xiating in London contributed to this story.