China on Wednesday kicked off its annual parliamentary session, the National People’s Congress (NPC), which outlines the government’s priorities for the year. Stabilising the sluggish economy and pushing for broader applications of artificial intelligence were among the focus areas in a work report read by the country’s premier, Li Qiang.

Beijing also vowed to address a property market slump and ballooning government debt that are affecting economic growth, to boost employment and offer better public education, health care and social security support.