Demand recovery to be priority

Further easing of monetary policy likely to be on agenda during annual meeting

Chinese policymakers will likely prioritize the recovery of demand this year as a crucial step to promote steady economic growth, while fine-tuning of housing market policy and a further easing in macroeconomic policies are necessary, economists and experts said.

The comments come as focus turns on how China will draw up key economic targets and policies to push the world's second-largest economy through challenges at home and abroad when the country's top legislature and top political advisory body meet early next month at the annual two sessions.

Experts highlighted the lack of demand as the most urgent and prominent challenge that deserves policymakers' attention, as the year-on-year growth of China's consumer price index, a main gauge of inflation, stayed negative for four consecutive months for the first time since 2009 as of January.