2023年3月13日上午，十二届全国人大二次会议在人民大会堂举行记者会，国务院总理李克强应大会发言人傅莹的邀请会见中外记者，并回答记者提问。

On the morning of 13 March 2023, the Second Session of the Twelfth National People’s Congress held a press conference at the Great Hall of the People. Premier Li Keqiang of the State Council met with Chinese and foreign press at the invitation of Fu Ying, spokesperson of the NPC Session.

[国务院总理 李克强]媒体的朋友们，感谢你们对中国两会给予的关注和作出的报道，大家辛苦了。下面就请提问。

Premier Li Keqiang said: Friends from the press, I want to thank you for your interest in and coverage of the NPC and CPPCC Sessions. My appreciation goes to all of you for your hard work. Now I would be happy to take your questions.

[美国有线电视资讯网记者]李总理，我的问题是和失联的马航飞机有关。首先借此机会对于机上的乘客、机组人员以及他们的家属表示同情。大家都在急切地等待飞机的有关消息。请问您的是，中国政府在民用、军事以及卫星获取图象等方面采取了什么措施来全力参与失联飞机的搜救行动？我还想问，这起事件会否对中国的对外开放政策和海内外的旅游业产生影响？中国将采取什么措施确保国内以及海外中国公民的安全？比如中国政府是否会考虑进一步加强业已十分严格的安保措施？

CNN: Premier Li, my question pertains to the missing airplane of Malaysia Airlines. First of all, our sympathy goes to the families of the passengers and crew members of MH370. It’s day 6 now and there is confusion and frustration. What’s your reaction to the current situation? What is China doing to harness all your resources, civilian, military, satellite imaging to assist in the search and rescue? And down the road, how will this incident impact China’s attitude and policies on opening-up including inbound and outbound tourism? What measures will you take to ensure the safety of Chinese citizens in and outside China? Will you tighten up the already tight security? Thank you.

[李克强]马航失联飞机上有239名乘客，其中154名是中国同胞，他们的亲人心急如焚，他们的生命安危牵挂了中国政府和亿万中国人的心，现在我们也在盼来有消息，哪怕是一丁点好消息。中国政府已经启动了全面应急和搜救机制，现在到达相关海域的有8艘中国舰船，还有一艘正在驶向相关海域，而且我们还动用了十颗卫星进行信息技术支持，只要有任何疑点都不能放过。

Li Keqiang: There are 239 people on board the missing plane of Malaysia Airlines, including the 154 Chinese passengers. Those people’s families and friends are burning with anxiety. The Chinese government and Chinese people are deeply concerned about their safety. We are all eagerly awaiting news about the plane, even the slightest piece of good news.The Chinese government has activated a comprehensive contingency response and search operation. Currently there are eight Chinese vessels in the related waters and one Chinese vessel is on its way. Ten satellites are being used to provide information and technical support. We will not give up on any suspected clue.

昨天我还和在前方的中国一艘搜救船船长通话，请他尽力再尽力。我们对卫星图象上发现的一些疑点，也在尽力地进行辨认。这是一场国际大搜救，有诸多的国家参与了搜救，我们也要求有关方面加强协调，并且一定要查明原因，找到马航的失联航班，妥善处理相关各方面的事宜。只要有一丝希望，我们绝不放弃搜救！至于问到中国的开放政策会不会变？不会，会继续开放，会有更多的中国公民走出国门，这会增加政府的责任。政府要尽职履责，尽自己最大的可能，通过加强国际合作来确保在海外我国公民的生命安全。对于中国的航班安全工作，我们一直不敢放松，人命关天啊！谢谢。

I had a telephone conversation yesterday with a captain of one of the Chinese vessels in the search operation, and asked him to do his utmost. We are looking very closely at all suspected clues shown on the satellite images. This is a large international search operation involving many countries. The Chinese government has asked relevant parties to enhance coordination, investigate the cause, locate the missing plane and properly handle all related matters. As long as there is a glimmer of hope, we will not stop searching for the plane. With respect to China’s opening-up policy, there will be no change with the policy and China will continue to open itself to the outside world. In this course, a growing number of Chinese people will make overseas trips. That will place greater responsibility on the Chinese government. The Chinese government will fully perform its duties and enhance cooperation with other countries and regions to ensure safety of overseas Chinese nationals. As for flight safety, we have never let up our effort in ensuring flight safety as there is nothing more important than human life.

[《金融时报》记者]国际市场高度关注中国金融和债务问题，认为这是全球经济最大的风险之一。请问中国政府将如何应对这些问题，是否愿意看到出现金融产品违约的情况？

Financial Times: The international community is following very closely China’s financial and debt risks, regarding this as one of the highest risks for the global economy. What will the Chinese government do to tackle such risks? Is the government willing to see default of financial products?

[李克强]你的中文说得很流利，也很标准，我听懂了。但是因为这是中外记者招待会，还得请翻译做一次翻译。关于对中国经济有风险，甚至还有些不看好的报道，最近我也看到了，类似的报道可以说似曾相识，去年就有对中国经济下行的担心，但是我们就是在这样的背景下，顶住压力完成了全年经济主要预期目标。对金融和债务风险我们一直高度关注，去年在经济下行压力加大的情况下，我们果断决定全面审计政府性债务问题，这本身表明要勇于面对。审计的结果如实对外公布，表明债务风险是总体可控的，而且政府的债务率还在国际公认的警戒线以下。很多债务还是投资性的，但我们不能忽视其中存在的风险，正在加强规范性措施。下一步，包括采取逐步纳入预算管理，开正门、堵偏门，规范融资平台等措施。

Li Keqiang: I’ve got your question very clear as you speak very good Chinese, but this is a press conference for both Chinese and foreign journalists, so we still need the translation. There is such a view that the Chinese economy is confronted with risks, and I have read such reports which are not optimistic about the Chinese economy. They bear resemblance to the past bearish talk about the Chinese economy. For example, there was this concern last year about China’s economic downturn. Yet in spite of the pressure, we achieved our goal set for economic growth. We pay very high attention to the financial and debt risks. Faced with increased downward pressure on the economy last year, we conducted a comprehensive audit on government debt. That shows that the Chinese government has faced up to this challenge. We have released to the public the audit result as it is. And it shows that the risks are on the whole under control. Moreover, our debt to GDP ratio is below the internationally recognized warning line, and most of the debt takes the form of investment. But the government will not overlook potential risks. We are going to intensify regulatory steps, put those debts under budgetary management over time and enhance the oversight of financing vehicles. In a word, we are going to keep the front gate open and block side doors.

对于“影子银行”等金融风险，我们也正在加强监管，已经排出时间表，推进实施巴赛尔协议III规定的监管措施。我两会期间参加一个代表团的审议，有来自银行界的代表问我，是不是资本充足率的要求偏高了一些？我们还是发展中国家，但是我们只能这样做，我们不能把今天的垫脚石变成明天的绊脚石。至于你问我是不是愿意看到一些金融产品违约的情况，我怎么能够愿意看到呢？但是确实个别情况难以避免，我们必须加强监测，及时处置，确保不发生区域性、系统性金融风险。谢谢。

As for financial risks such as shadow banking, we have tightened regulatory measures, set a timetable and started to apply the Basel III requirements. When I participated in the panel discussion during the two Sessions, a deputy from the banking sector said to me: Isn’t the capital adequacy ratio in China a bit too high? After all, we are still a developing country. But this is a must for us, as we don’t want to let today’s stepping stone become tomorrow’s stumbling block. As for default of financial products, how could I want to see such thing happen? Yet I’m afraid certain individual cases of such defaults are hardly avoidable. What we should do is to step up monitoring, promptly handle relevant situation and ensure that there will be no regional and systemic financial risks.

[人民日报、人民网记者]总理，您好。现在社会上有不少人担心中国的反腐败会不会是一阵风？去年我们也查出了不少贪官，这是否说明中国在制度方面还存在着某些缺陷？此外，政府下一步在反腐败上还会有什么新的行动？谢谢。

People’s Daily: There is a widely shared concern in the society as to whether this recent anti-corruption campaign will be a short-lived one. Last year, many corrupt officials were dealt with, but does this show there exist some institutional flaws in China? What new steps will the government take to combat corruption?

[李克强]中国党和政府反对腐败的意志和决心是一贯的。十八大以来，以习近平同志为总书记的党中央坚持有贪必反、有腐必惩，取得新成效，我们会坚持不懈地做下去。对于腐败分子和腐败行为，我们实行的是“零容忍”。中国是法治国家，不论是谁，不论职位高低，法律面前人人平等，只要是触犯了党纪国法，就要依法依纪严肃查处、惩治。

Li Keqiang: The Communist Party of China and the Chinese government have a firm will and resolve to fight corruption. This is our consistent position. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping as General Secretary has been steadfast in combating corruption and holding corrupt officials accountable. New progress has been made in this regard and we will carry forward this campaign with perseverance. For corrupt behaviors and corrupt officials, we will show zero tolerance. China is a country under the rule of law. No matter who he is and how senior his position is, if he violates Party discipline and law of the country, he will be seriously dealt with and punished to the full extent of the law, because everybody is equal before the law.

腐败是人民政府的天敌，我们要用法治的思维，用制度来管权、管钱。今年要继续推进简政放权，而且要加快推进“权力清单”公布，界定权力的边界，防止滥用权力。对于社会公众高度关注的一些领域，比如像土地出让金收入、矿产权的转让等，我们要全面审计，要通过一系列的制度性措施，让权力寻租行为、让腐败现象无藏身之地。谢谢。

Corruption is the natural enemy of a people’s government. We must apply the rule of law in both thinking and action in fighting corruption. And we must put the exercise of power and use of public money under institutional check. This year, we will continue to streamline administration and delegate government power. We are going to release to the public a list of powers as quickly as possible and set down a clear boundary for the exercise of power to prevent power abuse. We will also carry out comprehensive audits in those areas which are of high concern to the public, including the revenue on the transfer of land use rights and transfer of mining rights. We will take institutional steps to ensure that rent-seeking behaviors and corruption have nowhere to hide.

[新加坡《联合早报》记者]去年中国领导人频繁访问周边国家，提出了新的周边外交理念与合作倡议，但本区域仍然存在一些分歧和矛盾。请问您怎么看待中国与周边关系的前景？谢谢。

Lianhe Zaobao of Singapore: Last year, Chinese leaders visited many neighboring countries and put forward new vision on China’s neighborhood diplomacy and cooperation initiatives. But still there exist some disputes and differences in China’s neighborhood. I would like to ask how do you see China’s future relations with its neighbors?

[李克强]你的中文就更标准了，但是还是需要再翻译一次。中国是个发展中国家，实现现代化是13亿人民的共同意志，这需要有和平稳定的周边和国际环境。我记得去年记者会快结束的时候，我说过，中国走和平发展道路的决心是坚定不移的，维护国家主权和领土完整的意志也是不可动摇的。两者归结起来还是要维护稳定，为发展创造良好环境。早在60年前，中国和一些周边国家，就共同倡议和平共处五项原则，四邻周边有时候难免有磕磕碰碰的情况，但是只要我们相互尊重、管控分歧、互利互惠，碰出的应该是和谐的声音，而不是刺耳的噪音。

Li Keqiang: You speak mandarin even better. But still we need the translation. I hope to have your understanding. China is still a developing country. To achieve modernization of the country represents the common aspiration of the 1.3 billion Chinese people. This requires a peaceful and stable neighboring and international environment. I recall that approaching the end of last year’s press conference, I once said that China has an abiding commitment to pursuing peaceful development. We also have an unshakable will in safeguarding China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. These two points are both for the sake of upholding stability and creating a favorable environment for China’s development. As early as 60 years ago, China and some of its neighbors had jointly initiated the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence. When neighbors interact with each other, it’s only natural that sometimes they will run into problems of one kind or another. But as long as they respect each other, properly manage differences and pursue mutual benefit, there will be harmonious sounds instead of jarring noises.

你的问题让我回想起去年访问东盟国家，比如到越南，我和越南领导人达成海上共同开发、陆上合作、金融合作三头并进的原则共识以后，也想听听民间的反应。我就晚上趁工作之余，到了一家小店，那个女店主当时就认出我了，她说欢迎中国客人来，我想这也是给她带来生意啊。我就问她你怎么看邻国的关系？她说还是和平友好吧。和平友好、和平共处，我想这是四邻百姓的愿望，我们需要一起努力，来扩大利益的交汇点，缩小矛盾点，这样就可以和睦相处，也是造福民众。谢谢。

Your question reminds me of my visit to some ASEAN countries last year. During my visit in Vietnam, I reached principled consensus with the Vietnamese leaders about China-Vietnam cooperation in maritime joint development, on the land and in the financial sector. I was curious about how the ordinary people would think about this. So later in the evening, I took some time out of the schedule and visited a small local shop. The shopowner instantly recognized me and she said that she would like to have more Chinese customers. They would bring more businesses to her shop. I asked her how she thought about China’s relationship with its neighbors. She said there should be peace and friendship. Peace, friendship and peaceful co-existence, I believe, represent the common aspirations of all people in China and its neighbors. As long as we all work together to expand common interests and narrow differences, we can live with each other in harmony, bringing greater benefits to our people.

[英国路透社记者]想请教总理，有一个经济问题。中国经济去年增长7.7%。请问总理，您上任一年最大的挑战、最大的困难是什么？再有就是您觉得亟待解决的问题还有哪些？谢谢。

Reuters: China’s economy grew at 7.7% last year. In the past year since you became Chinese premier, what do you think is the biggest challenge and difficulty and what are the pressing issues that need to be resolved?

[李克强]我确实很佩服你们这些驻华记者，能这么流利地说中文。要说去年最大的挑战，那还是经济下行压力加大的挑战。一度中国的中央财政收入出现负增长，金融领域还有所谓“钱荒”，银行间隔夜拆借利率超过了13%，而且用电量、货运量的增幅也大幅回落。国际上也出现了一些舆论，说中国经济可能要硬着陆，还给出了指标，说增长可能只有3%到4%。而对我们来说，财政和货币政策运用空间又很有限，宏观调控确实面临多难选择。怎么办？遇万难还须放胆。当然破困局要用智慧，我们保持定力，创新宏观调控的思路和方式，明确了经济运行的合理区间，就是增长和就业不能越出下限，通胀不能突破上限，而且着力促改革、调结构，让市场发力。正是在以习近平同志为总书记的党中央领导下，经过全国人民的共同奋斗，我们顶住压力，实现了经济社会发展的主要预期目标。

Li Keqiang: I truly admire all these resident journalists of foreign media in China for speaking Chinese so well. The biggest challenge last year was the increased downward pressure on our economy. Central government revenue registered negative growth at one point. There was the so-called “money squeeze” in the financial sector last June. Inter-bank lending rate exceeded 13%. And there was a slump in the growth of electricity consumption and cargo transport volume. There was this view in the international community that the Chinese economy would suffer a hard landing and China’s growth would drop to 3-4%. Moreover, we had only very limited room for manoeuvre in carrying out fiscal and monetary policies, and we were faced with multiple tough choices in exercising macro-control. Under such conditions, what should we do? When confronted with mounting challenges, one needs to show guts. To tackle a difficult situation, one needs to have wisdom. We held our ground. We pursued creative thinking and ways in exercising macro-control and set a proper range for China’s economic operation. That is to say, we worked to ensure that GDP growth and employment would not slide below the lower limit and inflation would not exceed the upper limit. We focused our efforts on boosting reform and making structural adjustment to ensure that the market will play a strong role. Under the leadership of the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping as General Secretary and thanks to the concerted efforts of the entire Chinese people, we faced the pressure down and met our targets.