Overachievement becoming norm in China's development

The time is now and the place is China.

And the direction is not only forward but also upward.

It's the right moment in the country's rapid development to increase the focus on high-quality growth, as Premier Li Keqiang outlined in the Government Work Report he delivered on March 5.

Indeed, this shift has already begun and continues to pick up speed. I expect momentum in this direction to continue in the year ahead - and beyond.

I've been seeking answers as to exactly how China will pursue high-quality growth in my video series, Two Sessions, One Minute. The first several episodes have already been viewed tens of millions of times.

I have also been speaking with National People's Congress deputies and Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference National Committee members about the Government Work Report, and how their proposals specifically advance the country's goals.

It was an honor to be present when Li delivered both this year's and last year's government work reports.

That's because it represented history in the making, and I realize this even more after comparing the goals set last year to actual performance. The government exceeded many key targets, and I expect it will do so again this year.

The country reduced air pollution in major cities by half while achieving 6.9 percent GDP growth in 2017, exceeding the GDP growth target announced at last year's two sessions of about 6.5 percent - the same as the goal announced for this year.

It also surpassed targets set for 2017 in such realms as the consumer price index, urban job creation and energy consumption per unit of GDP.

The consumer price index, or CPI - a major barometer of inflation - increased by 1.6 percent last year, compared with the goal of holding it at around 3 percent. This year's target is the same as last year's.

Over 13.5 million urban jobs were created last year, about 2.5 million more than the goal. The Government Work Report aims at over 11 million new jobs in cities again this year.

And energy consumption per unit of GDP decreased by 3.7 percent in 2017, exceeding the target of at least 3.4 percent. This year's goal is at least 3 percent.

China also surpassed objectives for reducing steel- and coal-production capacity, enhancing shantytown renovations and boosting railway construction investment last year.

These achievements were accomplished while financial risks were lessened, people's livelihoods improved and environmental protection was enhanced. Indeed, this demonstrates China has progressed to a stage of development where quality is better balanced with quantity.

The country's poverty alleviation is a powerful testimony.

The society that has lifted the most people out of poverty - the fastest in human history - brought 12.89 million rural residents above the poverty line last year. The target for 2017 was over 10 million, with the same objective set for this year.

The new era is a time and place where "no one must be left behind", President Xi Jinping has said.

This year's Government Work Report introduced new approaches for this stage in China's poverty alleviation that offers targeted assistance to such groups as people living with disabilities and chronic diseases, as well as the elderly.

Quality growth will lead to better development and more comprehensively address people's desires for an even higher quality of life.

Xi said in his report to the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China:"The principal contradiction facing Chinese society in the new era is that between unbalanced and inadequate development and the people's ever-growing need for a better life."

Forty years since reform and opening-up has launched, China has arrived at a place in time where it can make great achievements in advancing growth that is more multidimensional in terms of its strengths and benefits for the people.

It can now better prevent financial risks and more directly elevate the living standards of the entire Chinese population by deepening reforms and restructuring.

It will continue to do so, as China moves forward in the new era - that is, in time, in space and in terms of a higher-quality economy translating into a higher quality of life.