China Premier Li seeks to bolster his country’s economic outlook at Shanghai trade fair

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Seeking to generate excitement around a largely lackluster economy, Chinese Premier Li Qiang is pledging to continue deepening reforms, expand free trade zones and relax market access for foreign investment. Li made the remarks Sunday when delivering a keynote speech at the opening of the 6th China International Import Expo in Shanghai, seeking to draw thousands of foreign businesses shopping for Chinese products and looking to expand trade and investment with the world’s second-largest economy. China’s economy expanded at a 4.9% annual pace between July-September, beating analysts’ forecasts of about 4.5%, official data show. But that was much slower than the 6.3% annual growth rate of the previous quarter.