The National People's Congress, China's national legislature, held a news conference on Tuesday, one day ahead of the opening of its annual session, according to Chinadaily.

China speeds up finalization of draft law to protect, promote private firms

China is accelerating the revising and finalization of a draft law aimed at promoting the growth and protection of private enterprises, the National People's Congress, the country's national legislature, said at a news conference on Tuesday, one day ahead of the opening of its annual session.

China confident in future economic growth amid challenges

Despite the challenges and difficulties ahead, China still enjoys favorable conditions and factors to sustain steady growth, Lou Qinjian, spokesman for the third session of the 14th National People's Congress, said on Tuesday.

He expressed optimism and confidence about China's economic prospects, saying "the underlying trend of long-term growth and the conditions supporting it remain unchanged".

China prevents sci-tech innovation from becoming game of rich countries: spokesperson

China has proposed the Global AI Governance Initiative to help bridge the technological divide and prevent sci-tech innovation from becoming a game of the rich countries and the wealthy.

DeepSeek's success proves China's innovative, open, sharing approach

Lou highlighted that DeepSeek follows an open-source technological path that has facilitated the wider application of AI technologies worldwide and contributed China's wisdom to the world. Through DeepSeek one can see China's innovative and inclusive approach in sci-tech development, he said.

Lou: China-US ties stand for mutual benefit, win-win cooperation

The essence of China-US economic and trade relations is mutual benefit and win-win cooperation, said Lou Qinjian.

He criticized the US for its unilateral imposition of tariffs, which violates World Trade Organization rules and disrupts the security and stability of global industrial and supply chains.

China seeks to address US concerns through dialogue, consultation

China hopes to work with the United States to address each other's concerns through dialogue and consultation on the basis of mutual respect, equality, reciprocity and mutual benefit.

China reiterates it greatly values Europe ties

Noting that China and Europe can complement each other's strengths and achieve mutual benefit in many areas through cooperation, Lou said economic and trade cooperation between both sides has not only boosted their own growth, but also contributed to the stability of global supply chains and the world economy.

China-Europe relations are not targeted at any third party, nor are they subjugated or controlled by any third party, Lou emphasized, calling on both sides to hold confidence and composure when developing the ties and provide more stability and certainty for the world.

China reaffirms commitment to South-South cooperation

The development of the Global South remains a priority for cooperation under the Global Development Initiative, Lou said, adding that China has provided development assistance to over 160 countries and cooperated with more than 150 countries and 30 international organizations under the Belt and Road Initiative.

Chinese military strength helps safeguard peace

Lou said the defense budget is part of China's overall national budget and the specific figure will be announced after the opening of the NPC's annual gathering on Wednesday.

"However, I can share with you that China's defense budget has maintained single-digit growth for nine consecutive years since 2016. The proportion of defense spending to our GDP has remained below 1.5 percent for many years, lower than the world average," said the spokesman.

NPC to boost foreign exchanges in China's diplomacy

The National People's Congress will further leverage the unique advantages of the legislative body in external exchanges to serve the overall national diplomatic agenda.