Even if bloggers and political analysts were encouraged by Mr. Li’s comments — and his down-to-earth, direct speaking style — they noted that his promises were short on specifics. Mr. Li declined to discuss political reform, an issue that liberal intellectuals and policy advisers say must be addressed if the country is to tackle some of its most intractable problems. Instead, they said, he defended the modest package of administrative adjustments approved by the country’s party-run legislative session.

Mr. Li faces formidable obstacles. Changes that seek to increase opportunities for farmers, migrant workers and entrepreneurs are sure to face resistance from an elite that has shown little interest in sharing the fruits of China’s economic growth. He must also operate within a consensus-driven leadership, including a seven-member Politburo Standing Committee dominated by conservatives.

Even Mr. Li acknowledged the potential obstacles posed by those who have accumulated power and wealth during China’s three-decade embrace of market reform. “Nowadays moving against these interests is often harder than laying a hand on a soul,” he said.

As the leader of the State Council, China’s cabinet, Mr. Li is responsible for economic policy, health care and education; he has expressed an interest in the challenges of urbanization. Responding to a reporter’s question, he said Beijing would spend liberally to help the millions of rural residents who are flocking to Chinese cities each year and would enact policies that foster sound development. “We must also be on guard against urban ills,” he said. “We can’t have it so there are skyscrapers side by side with slums.”

Expectations for China’s first new leadership in a decade are high, heightened by Mr. Xi, who since his elevation as Communist Party chief in November has spoken about fighting corruption and shifting China’s growth toward domestic consumption and less on exports and infrastructure spending. But Mr. Xi has also provoked some unease, especially among China’s neighbors, with his emphasis on bolstering the military and by promoting “a great national revival” that some have interpreted as code for a more muscular foreign policy.