The slowdown and trade war have become major challenges for President Xi Jinping, one year after the NPC boosted his status as the country's most powerful leader since Mao Zedong by abolishing term limits and etching his name into China's constitution. The government had set a target of around 6.5 per cent in 2018 and eventually recorded official growth of 6.6 percent -- the slowest pace in nearly three decades. Three-quarters of provinces have already lowered their annual growth targets this year.