The paper said judging from the information provided by Zhang, we can see the Chinese government is not only pursuing a long-term target while solving the current difficulties it faces, but also binding closely the expansion of domestic demands together with the improvement of people's well-being.

Canada's Globe and Mail newspaper said China, in its "most difficult year," stakes its future on an ambitious growth target of 8 percent.

The Toronto Star said the two sessions mean to bolster confidence in the Chinese economy. The government intends to address potential pressure points: graduating students in search of jobs, migrant workers who have been thrown out of work and have returned the countryside, and the unemployed.

Francisco Encina, president of Chile's Deputies Chamber, said the two sessions are at the center of worldwide attention.

New decisions to be made during the ongoing sessions will not only guide the development of China's economy, but also have a profound impact on the world, Encina said.

Sustained growth in China will be of vital importance to the world economy and trade, and China's efficient and responsible economic stimulus measures will be a powerful backup for the world's ailing economy, he said.

The annual meetings are crucial and may be a "catalyst" to speed up the recovery of the troubled world economy, Encina said.

(Xinhua News Agency March 8, 2009)