Premier Li Qiang has projected the nation’s economy will grow by about five percent this year. He set the target in his annual work report at the start of the National People’s Congress session. The premier also spoke about boosting consumption, as Vanessa Cheng reports from Beijing:

Premier Li Qiang also said Beijing would continue implementing the principle of patriots administering the Hong Kong and Macau SARs. Kelly Yu reports from Beijing:

Thomas Shik, Chief Economist at Hang Seng Bank, says China's five percent growth target is "achievable" if authorities do more to support economic growth. He also warned about external challenges. He spoke to Chloe Feng:

A politics professor says Premier Li Qiang's work report paints a sober picture of where the nation is at and the challenges ahead. Josef Gregory Mahoney at East China Normal University in Shanghai says a five percent GDP growth target is realistic as long as there are no major new global disruptions and domestic unemployment and property concerns are well-managed. He spoke to Carol Musgrave:

Former financial secretary Henry Tang has called the economic growth target set out by the Premier as pragmatic. Speaking in Beijing, he also said the Hong Kong government’s issuance of bonds would be able to help counter the SAR's fiscal deficit. Vanessa Cheng reports:

Chief Executive John Lee says officials aim to enact local security legislation under Article 23 as soon as possible. He said the earlier this was done, the sooner the SAR could safeguard national security. Kelly Yu reports:

Security chief Chris Tang has again stressed the strong public support for Hong Kong to enact Basic Law Article 23 national security legislation. As Damon Pang reports, he criticised the British Foreign Secretary and the US Consul General in Hong Kong for their comments on the topic:

A document published by the Education Bureau says schools should not require primary one and two pupils to sit for written tests in science when the new curriculum is rolled out. Authorities had earlier announced that primary students would study science from late next year, to promote the STEAM subjects - which are science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics. Violet Wong reports:

An educator has questioned whether there will be enough primary school science teachers, when a new curriculum is rolled out late next year. Mervyn Cheung, chairman of the Hong Kong Education Policy Concern Organisation, says he supports having more STEAM subjects at early primary school, saying local students were behind their mainland and regional counterparts in science. He said he agreed with the Education Bureau about not having written science exams for primary one and two pupils. He said the subject should try to arouse a curiosity in science among younger kids, especially as there was a declining enrolment in such subjects at the upper secondary level. Cheung spoke to Ben Tse: