China statistics chief says economy contains deep structural 'contradictions'

China's statistics bureau head, Kang Yi, said on Sunday that China's economy still contains deep structural "contradictions" and "problems", according to state media.

Kang, head of the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), made the comments while taking questions from reporters on the sidelines of the annual parliamentary meeting.

"There are still many uncertainties ahead of China's economy," said Kang. "Domestically, there are still some deep-seated structural contradictions and problems in the economic operation."


China set a modest target for economic growth this year of around 5%, which was announced last week at the parliamentary meeting.

The economy gave one of its weakest performances in decades last year, when gross domestic product (GDP) grew by just 3%, squeezed by three years of COVID controls, a crisis in the vast property sector and a crackdown on private enterprises.

Kang, a former vice mayor of the northern city of Tianjin, was appointed to head the NBS earlier this month.

China's parliament on Sunday approved the cabinet line-up nominated by Premier Li Qiang, who took office on Saturday, in a once-in-five years reshuffle.