The Chinese government says it has set an economic growth target of 6 to 6.5 per cent for 2019.
Last year, China's economy grew 6.6 per cent, its slowest rate since 1990, under pressure from a trade war with the United States and rising government debt.
The national defence budget is set to grow by 7.5 per cent this year, below last year's growth rate of 8.1 per cent, according to a work report at the opening of the annual parliamentary session at Beijing's Great Hall of the People on Tuesday .