China likely to achieve 5% growth this year

Most provincial-level regions have also set goals at around same level

China is expected to maintain its annual economic growth target at around 5 percent for 2025, the same as last year's goal, in a bid to shore up market expectations in the face of tepid domestic demand and rising trade protectionism, analysts and executives said.

The world's second-largest economy has vowed to enhance countercyclical adjustments, including a more proactive fiscal policy and a moderately loose monetary policy, and provide a strong underpinning for achieving its annual goals, they added.

Though China's GDP target will only be officially disclosed during the National People's Congress session in March, the anticipation for the unchanged growth target comes as China's major economic hubs — like Beijing and Shanghai as well as the provinces of Guangdong and Zhejiang — have announced GDP growth goals in the vicinity of 5 percent for the year.