China took a more measured, low-key approach on Tuesday as the annual meeting of its rubber stamp parliament kicked off, a yearly political spectacle of policy making in the Communist state.

In a state-of-the-union style address, Li Keqiang, China’s premier, ticked off government achievements from improved living standards to defusing financial risks over the last year, while noting that the country “faced profound change.” He announced a target of 6 to 6.5 percent economic growth this year, a hair lower than the 6.6 percent posted last year.

“Setbacks in economic globalisation, challenges to multilateralism, shocks in the international financial market, and especially the China-US economic and trade frictions, had an adverse effect in the product and business operations of some companies and on market expectations,” Mr Li said in a lengthy speech. “What we faced was a complicated terrain of increasing dilemmas.”

Mr Li’s remarks, peppered with unanimous applause and the rustle of unison page turns as parliamentary delegates followed along, attributed all achievements to the “strong leadership” Xi Jinping, the president, and reiterated the Communist Party has everything under control with “the courage, vision and strength to prevail over any difficulty or obstacle.”

The message, delivered in a Great Hall of People bedecked in red and gold tapestry, was as expected - a move to shore up confidence in the government’s ability to steer the ship in uncertain times. It was also notably toned down, a far cry from the swagger the country and its leaders had at this time last year.