Premier Li meets the press at the Great Hall of the People after the conclusion of the annual national legislative session on March 15, 2017.[Photo/Xinhua]

At the two-hour-long press conference at this year’s two sessions held by Premier Li Keqiang on March 15, the word “entrepreneurship” was mentioned 33 times, indicating that the government attaches great importance to “mass entrepreneurship and innovation”.

In reply to how to push forward the streamlining of government administration and delegating power, Premier Li called for giving green light to entrepreneurship and innovation. As to questions on how to alleviate employment pressure, he urged creating a conducive environment for entrepreneurship and employment, which can provide new job opportunities.

Premier Li meets the press at the Great Hall of the People after the conclusion of the annual national legislative session on March 15, 2017. [Photo/China Daily]

“Mass entrepreneurship and innovation is a reform,” said the Premier at the conference, adding that it can push forward the transformation of old and new momentum, and create new business platforms such as sharing economy and Internet Plus.

As far as mass entrepreneurship is concerned, small-and-medium sized enterprises have come up and some have joined hands with big enterprises, promoting the transformation in the production method and management.

The mass entrepreneurship and innovation reform swept the primary, secondary and tertiary industry, with the participation of small-and-medium-sized enterprises, as well as big companies, showcasing the strong desire for development, said the Premier.

In 2016, 45,100 new market entities were registered every day. Meanwhile, in 2016’s global innovation index for economic entity, China for the first time was ranked in the top 25.

“If we can stimulate hundreds of millions of people’s creativity and enthusiasm, it can form a strong momentum, create ability to withstand the downward pressure on the economy, and promote economic transformation,” Premier Li said at the press conference last year.

A year later, Premier Li announced that despite the slowdown in world economy and global trade to the lowest level in the past seven years, China’s economy maintained a medium-to-high level growth rate, which shows that predictions of hard landing should end now.