Premier calls for deepened reform

Macroeconomic decision-making, according to Li, requires keeping a steady footing and eyeing long-term economic upgrades.

While effectively coping with short-term problems and maintaining stable growth, more effort should be made to improve the quality and benefits of development, with a focus on promoting economic restructuring and upgrading, expanding employment and increasing people's incomes, he added.

Lu Zhengwei, chief economist at the Industrial Bank, said government leaders have noticed short-term concerns but put more attention on long-term problems, especially the construction of a sound system.

"That makes us more confident in the country's development in the coming 10 to 20 years," Lu said.

Li said the impetus for sustained development lies in deepening reform, urging targeted policies to cure not only "symptoms" but deeply rooted problems in the economy.

"If temporary policies have to be carried out, they should not set up barriers for promoting market-based reform in the future," Li said, calling for making long-term effective policy arrangements to unleash the dividends of reform and boost the sustained development of the economy.