China confident of achieving full-year development targets: official

BEIJING -- With ample policy reserves and sufficient policy room, China is fully confident in achieving this year's economic and social development goals and tasks, Zhao Chenxin, deputy head of the National Development and Reform Commission, told a press conference on Monday.

The country will accelerate the implementation of measures to stabilize employment and the economy, expedite the roll-out and execution of policies, and place greater emphasis on enhancing policy implementation efficiency and effectiveness to ensure direct benefits for businesses and the public, Zhao said.

Meanwhile, it will intensify efforts to ensure the full effect of existing policies, including special campaigns to boost consumption and effectively utilize the 5-trillion-yuan (about $694 billion) investment funds at the national level, he said, adding that most of these policies will take effect in the second quarter.

The country will continuously strengthen policy consistency, conduct regular and open-ended policy research, fully prepare contingency plans, and steadily improve the policy toolkit for stabilizing employment and the economy, he said.

Incremental reserve policies will be rolled out in a timely manner in response to changing conditions, Zhao said, adding that the country will stay focused on managing its own affairs well no matter how the international situation evolves.

China has targeted its full-year economic growth at around 5 percent this year. In the first quarter, the country's gross domestic product grew 5.4 percent year-on-year.