China renews vow to avoid ‘hard landing’

BEIJING: China’s economy will not suffer a “hard landing,” Premier Li Keqiang said Wednesday, stepping up Beijing’s charm offensive to reassure investors that the government can manage slowing growth.

“We have long-term confidence in the Chinese economy and this confidence isn’t without a foundation,” Li told his once-a-year press conference at the end of the National People’s Congress (NPC), the Communist-controlled legislature.