China meeting to set 2019 economic polices will start on Dec 19: sources

[BEIJING] China's leaders will hold their annual economic policy-setting meeting from Dec 19 to Dec 21, according to people briefed on the plans, as pressure mounts on Beijing to address US concerns over market access before a March 1 deadline for trade talks.

The annual gathering lays down priorities for economic policy for the coming year, though detailed targets aren't usually released until legislative meetings in March. For 2019, China faces a tough combination of slower growth at home and uncertainty over the conduct of trade given the ongoing tension with the US. Policymakers will need to calibrate extra stimulus without hobbling the nation's fight against debt.

China will also convene a meeting to mark the 40th anniversary of country's "Reform and Opening Up" process from Dec 18, the people said. They asked not to be named as the plans aren't yet public. The State Council Information Office didn't immediately respond to a request for confirmation.

In 2017, the Work Conference laid out a three-year approach to winning "critical battles" against financial risk, pollution and poverty. In the grip of the trade war, the leverage campaign has been softened. Economists see growth of the world's second-largest economy slowing to 6.2 per cent next year from 6.6 per cent in 2018.

BLOOMBERG