Premier Li Qiang was keen to portray China as a stable presence in Asia despite increased global tensions

 
China’s new Premier says his country can be an “anchor for world peace”, and called for an avoidance of “chaos and conflict” in Asia.

Premier Li Qiang made the comments at a Boao Forum in Hainan.

This was a keynote speech for Premier Li – the man who was just recently installed as the second-most powerful leader in China behind President Xi Jinping.

Mr Li was speaking at the Boao Forum – which is often seen as an Asian version of the World Economic Forum.

The audience included some notable names including prime ministers from Spain, Singapore and Malaysia and the managing director of the IMF.

Mr Li was keen to portray China as a stable presence in Asia despite increased global tensions – and he even described his country as an anchor for global peace and development.

He also stressed that Chaos and conflict must not happen in Asia – warning that the future of the continent could be lost.

As Chinese Premier – Mr Li has the job of managing the world’s second largest economy and it’s a considerable challenge given how damaging years of covid restrictions have been for China’s growth.

But he was pretty bullish in this speech, pointing to a rebound in China’s economy at the start of this year – with improvements in retail spending and investment in real estate.

He’s also continuing to try and drum up more foreign investment – promising that Beijing is willing to reopen to the world and reform their business practices.