Two major speeches were delivered by two of the world's most powerful world leaders this week, on opposite sides of the planet.

Premier Li Qiang delivers highly watched annual work report, touching on GDP growth targets, foreign investment, future industries and more.

Chinese Premier Li Qiang's renewed emphasis on consumption isn't being matched by policy firepower, say economists, who warn that the trade war with Washington and other challenges at home will likely keep policymakers in a prolonged battle with deflation.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi says China will continue to retaliate to the United States’ “arbitrary tariffs” and accused Washington of “meeting good with evil” in a press conference Friday on the sidelines of the annual parliamentary session.

China has set a GDP growth target of around 5 per cent for this year as it grapples with a trade war with the US. At the Wednesday opening of the annual meeting of China’s top legislature, the National People’s Congress,

While China's appeal to work with "fellow Chinese in Taiwan" to help rejuvenate the Chinese nation wasn't mentioned in Premier Li Qiang's work report last year, he added the phrase this year.

As Chinese leaders meet in Beijing, they are striking a confident posture despite serious challenges to the economy and growing pressure from the United States.

Chinese President Xi Jinping reads during a speech by Premier Li Qiang at the opening session of the National Peoples Congress, or NPC, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on March 5, 2025. Charlie Campbell is a correspondent at TIME, based in the Singapore bureau.

China has warned it is ready for "any type of war" in response to President Donald Trump's tariffs on Chinese goods. The statement comes as Beijing boosts defense spending and tensions escalate.

David Kuo, co-founder of The Smart Investor, and Louise Loo, lead economist, China, of Oxford Economics discuss the market and economic implications from the policy signals made in Chinese Premier Li Qiang's government work report during the 2025 National People's Congress.

In a speech to the country’s lawmakers, Chinese Premier Li Qiang said AI would be key to boosting China’s digital economy.

As a trade war with the United States begins, China wants to fire up its economy and plans to increase defence spending.