China confident of overcoming economic difficulty- Wen

BEIJING (AFP) - China's Prime Minister Wen Jiabao expressed confidence in his government's ability to overcome the nation's economic downturn, his cabinet said Sunday.

"We are fully confident that we have the conditions and the capability to overcome the challenges we are facing," Wen was quoted as saying in comments posted on the government's website.

"We should fully realise the severity and uncertainty of the global financial crisis... and take firmer action."

Wen's comments came in meetings last week as he sought input from diverse sectors of society for his annual government work report to be read before the nation's parliament on March 5.

"This year's government work report should be a report that strengthens confidence and a report that implements action," Wen said.

Since announcing a four trillion yuan (585 million dollar) stimulus package to overcome the global economic downturn in November last year, Wen has consistently expressed confidence that China's economy would continue its remarkable growth.

But his nation's economy slowed dramatically at the end of 2008 as the full force of the crisis hit home, dragging growth in the world's third-largest economy to a seven-year low.

China's economy expanded by just 6.8 percent in the final quarter, pulling the full-year growth figure down to 9.0 percent, the National Bureau of Statistics reported last month.

Coming after 13.0 percent growth in 2007, the figures offered the most complete picture yet of just how severely the world crisis has hit China's export-dependent economy.

More than 20 million migrant workers, the engine of the nation's economy, have already lost their jobs due to the turndown.