Government leaders react to the news with the two sessions continuing in Beijing
Strictly speaking, the ongoing sessions of the 12th National People's Congress, the country's top legislature, and the advisory Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference are domestic events.
After the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation summit in South Africa in December, the focus has squarely been on China's strategies to sustain its relationship with Africa. As the fastest-growing economy, China has become an assertive power and a leading economic investor on the continent.
The Chinese government has set this year's GDP growth target at 6.5 to 7 percent. Although lower than last year, it sends a strong signal to the market that the government is resolved to stabilizing the economy. In fact, Premier Li Keqiang said one of the reasons it has set this target is to guide market expectations.
China's military budget will rise 7 to 8 percent this year, it was announced on March 4. The increase has drawn worldwide attention, as usual, although it will be less than in previous years.
As the birthplace of tea, China has a long history of tea culture that has greatly influenced the world. But now, some students plan to add new tastes to the teacher's drink list as African tea growers see China as a huge potential market.
The annual meetings of the country's legislative and political advisory bodies - which began on March 3 - are especially important this year because the proposed 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-20) charting the nation's economic and social progress will be submitted to legislators for approval.
A Chinese company with extensive hydropower construction experience is developing three small-scale hydropower stations in Kenya to help reduce local tea factories' costs and improve their competitiveness.
Collaborating with Chinese investors may be a useful approach to stabilize tea prices and raise earnings for Kenyans who cultivate the crop, say Kenyan officials and experts.
Those who work in the tea business in Africa say they are benefiting immensely from training offered in China.
Chinese Vice-President Li Yuanchao responded to recent negative financial news headlines by insisting "blind optimism" is not needed to believe the Chinese economy has a strong future.
Permanent residents' permits, or green cards, have been notoriously difficult to obtain in China, and many people believe they are of little use.
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