Two “firsts” for the country’s top leaders marked the last day of the National People’s Congress at the annual “two sessions”. President Xi Jinping made his first keynote speech since being elected to an unprecedented third term last week, and new Premier Li Qiang took his first post-congress press conference. Both should have boosted the morale of Covid-weary Hong Kong. Xi said the city’s long-term prosperity and stability were “inseparable” from building a strong nation and called for the firm advancement of the “one country, two systems” principle. Li, his long-time loyal aid and No 2, reaffirmed the city’s key role as a financial, trading and shipping centre. But what really set both Xi’s speech and Li’s remarks apart was the focus on the nation’s economic growth and post-Covid recovery. Previous premiers’ press conferences have spent a lot of time on foreign policy, with questions from American, European and even Asian reporters. This time the one foreign affairs question was about United States-China “decoupling”. More questions were reserved for reporters from the Middle East, reflecting China’s widening influence. That said, Li’s mission is shaping up as 90 per cent economic and domestic. Foreign policy will be largely driven by Xi, with emphasis on the need for Washington to make good on promises to Xi from US President Joe Biden if there is to be any point in continuing their dialogue. The new premier used strong language to assert unambiguous support for the private sector, deploring “inappropriate” discussion of supposed doubts, reaffirming commitment to economic opening up and dismissing talk of decoupling from the United States. Chinese premier stays close to home in his first big turn on national stage Xi set the stage for Li’s press conference in his keynote speech, launching his third-term vision of the country’s key directions and targeting economic recovery and national security. It is up to Li as No 2 and head of the State Council to implement the Communist Party’s directions and execute Xi’s instructions. In that respect the main takeaway about the new premier, from NPC delegates and foreign media, is a pragmatic approach, perhaps best exemplified by a promise to research and properly investigate problems on the ground before Beijing adopts measures to fix them – an expansion of a practice followed by the party in the past – and his pledge of support for the private sector. Some analysts are impressed, indicating he also hit the right buttons to counter negative perceptions in the private sector, where confidence is at rock bottom. Rightly, he also spoke about the need for a quality workforce for the next step in China’s rise. It is a daunting agenda, but it could stand him in good stead to face socio-economic problems such as an ageing population and youth unemployment.