China on deck to reveal its 2022 GDP target

BEIJING — China is slated on Saturday to release its gross domestic product growth target for 2022, as an annual parliamentary meeting gets underway.

Analysts widely expect the GDP target to be set at about 5% or slightly higher. They are also looking for details about stimulus plans for an economy that has slowed significantly.

The figure is set to be released Saturday morning local time, or Friday evening ET.

China’s economic growth softened in the fourth quarter to a 4% year-on-year increase, despite full-year growth of 8.1%.

The country was the only major economy to grow in 2020, while the rest of the world struggled with the coronavirus pandemic.

But sluggish consumer spending has yet to fully recover from the pandemic, and fallout from Beijing’s regulatory crackdown on tech and real estate have dragged on growth. China’s stringent “zero-Covid” policy, with abrupt lockdowns and travel restrictions, has also weighed on the economy.

In the last two weeks, the heads of government ministries have spoken of plans for more economic support, especially for small businesses and consumers.

The “Two Sessions” is an annual meeting of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, an advisory body, and the National People’s Congress legislature in Beijing.

While largely symbolic, the meetings draw delegates from around the country to approve and announce national economic policies for the year ahead. Those include targets for GDP growth, employment, inflation, deficit and government spending.

This year, the Two Sessions will last about a week, with proceedings set to wrap up on March 11.