Chinese Premier Li Keqiang delivers the government work report during the opening meeting of the second session of the 12th National People's Congress (NPC) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 5, 2014. (Xinhua/Li Xueren)

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang's government work report at the annual National People's Congress (NPC) session here on Wednesday has been closely scrutinized by experts, media and governments around the world.

The overall reaction has been high praise for the achievements made by the Chinese government since Premier Li took office a year ago.

The consensus is that China faces numerous difficulties and challenges and needs to make arduous efforts to realize the targets which were laid out by Premier Li's government for 2014.

GOOD START, REMARKABLE ACHIEVEMENTS

Li Renliang, professor of Thailand's National Institute of Development Administration (NIDA), said that, in 2013, despite many obstacles, the Chinese government attained marked achievements in all aspects, and maintained steady economic growth.

Pierre Picquart, a French specialist in geopolitics and professor at University of Paris-VIII, said the reforms carried out by the Chinese government would change the appearance of China and have a big impact on the world.

Ibrahim Yusuf, chairman of the executive board of the Indonesian Council on World Affairs (ICWA), told Xinhua China had achieved remarkable development in social and economic fields in the past year.

The reform was mainly in the banking sector, where banks faced a risk of bad debt. The Chinese government stressed this issue, which was very impressive, Yusuf said.

The new government showed very good leadership in the past year, they grew fast because they learned from existing problems quickly, especially the way they handled economic affairs. Generally speaking, their leadership was very good, he added.

Cha Jae-bok, member of the Research Committee of the Northeast Asian History Foundation, said all of South Korea paid high attention to the new Chinese leadership. It was more trustworthy, executive and approachable.Especially on anti-corruption issues, it stood firm and was clear-cut, Cha said.

Cambodian government spokesman Phay Siphan said China, under the leadership of President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang, had maintained sound diplomatic relations with other countries over the past year and played a critical role in international affairs.

Domestically, China had taken measures to deepen reform and eradicate corruption, and committed itself to promoting social justice, he said.

Klaus Rohland, the World Bank's Country Director for China, said since China revealed measures to deepen reform last year, its economic growth had been on the right path, shifting the focus from quantity to quality.

China's understanding about the rise of credit support, shadow banking and mode of growth was also to the point, he said.

DEEPENING REFORMS, FACING CHALLENGES

The Indian Times reported Li had pledged to move more people into the middle class, cut government waste and push further the campaign to fight the rampant official corruption.

"Much of Li's report served to further define priorities that had been outlined after a party policy meeting in November, which included plans to make the world's second-largest economy more open and competitive," the newspapaer commented.

Japan's Kyodo News said Li, who said China would "declare war against pollution" at the opening of the annual NPC session, was determined to address national concerns such as food security and the wealth gap.

Norwegian news agency NTB said China would put more emphasis on reform and balancing the economy rather than stronger growth. "The challenge for China is to bring about a shift without resulting in the closure of factories, a rise in unemployment and social unrest," the agency commented.

The Northeast Asian History Foundation's Cha said there were many thorny issues facing the Chinese government, for instance, traffic congestion in big cities and the haze problem nationwide.

"However, we need to consider China's specific national conditions to find the most appropriate road of sustainable development," he said.

ICWA's Yusuf told Xinhua China had achieved remarkable development in social and economic fields in the past year. "Among the BRICS countries, only China grew so fast," Yusuf said.

The Financial Times said China got serious on pollution and called for polluters to move.

PRACTICAL TARGETS, SEEKING STABLE PROGRESS

NIDA's Li suggested the Chinese government introduce the notion of a moderate economy, coordinate industrial and agricultural development, and attach more importance to agriculture.

"Local governments, in particular, should not be obsessed with economic growth achieved by expropriating farmers' land. A country has to rely on its agriculture to ensure economic stability. In this regard, China should learn lessons from other developed and developing countries, and boost agricultural development by making the best of scientific and technological progress," Li said.