Guangdong aims for 7 percent GDP growth target

Guangdong province, one of China's economic powerhouses, will aim to achieve an average GDP growth rate of 7 percent over the next five years, its top official said on Monday.

"Reform and opening-up to the outside world is Guangdong's greatest strategy for economic development," Hu Chunhua, the provincial Party chief, said at the opening ceremony of the 12th Guangdong Provincial Party Congress in Guangzhou.

He added that the province has relied heavily on such measures in recent years.

Official statistics show the province's GDP rose from 5.3 trillion yuan ($768.85 billion) in 2012 to more than 7.95 trillion yuan last year.

Guangdong has topped the list of provinces with the highest GDP for 28 consecutive years.

Hu also vowed to further promote the rule of law, saying that it "forms the basis of a civil and prosperous society".

More than 900 Party representatives are attending the five-day congress, of which 32.7 percent are women, and 51.8 percent are under 50 years of age.

The congress will elect the members that will represent Guangdong at the Party's 19th National Congress in Beijing this year.