He was speaking at the Boao Forum for Asia, held on the tropical island of Hainan in southern China. It was his first speech at an international conference since his appointment in early March.

"The momentum and state of China's economic growth is solid," Li told dozens of foreign leaders, policymakers and business figures.

"The situation in March will be better than in January and February," he said in reference to the abandonment at the end of 2022 of China's strict anti-Covid restrictions that had severely gripped the economy.

The Chinese government has set a growth target for this year of "about 5 percent," one of the lowest in decades, while stressing that it "will not be easy" to achieve.

In his speech on Thursday, Li promised that his government would offer increased support to the private sector, of which large sectors such as real estate, technology and private education have been in the crosshairs of regulators.

"We will launch a series of new measures to expand market access," he promised without detailing his intentions.

"We will improve the business environment (...) for state-owned enterprises to improve, private companies have the courage to move forward and foreign companies have the desire to invest."

In a context of high tensions with the United States, the Chinese premier also called for "opposing the abuse of unilateral sanctions" as well as "confrontation between blocs and a new cold war".

China regularly argues against the imposition of Western sanctions, especially US sanctions, against Russia, Iran or North Korea, believing that they are not likely to solve the root of the problem.

"We are committed to resolving disputes and disputes with other countries by peaceful means and jointly safeguarding world peace and tranquility," Li said.

The prime minister met Wednesday with IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva on the sidelines of the Boao Forum, which is the Asian equivalent of the Davos Economic Forum.

Foreign leaders are present, such as Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez or Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

© 2023 AFP