Companies operating in China largely took the government’s forecast of slowing growth in stride, with those reliant on business and government spending offering gloomier forecasts than companies focused on consumer demand.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiangsaid in his opening addressThursday at the annual legislative National People’s Congress that the government is now targeting growth of about 7% for 2015, down from 7.4% last year, its lowest level in nearly a quarter-century.

...