BEIJING, March 17 (Xinhua) -- Maintaining economic growth, improving people's livelihood and safeguarding social justice are the three top tasks of the newly-installed government, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said at his first press conference Sunday since assuming the premiership.

"In a country so vast as China, we have a lot of tasks to fulfill. For the most important one, I think it is to facilitate the continuous growth of the economy," Li said. To reach the goals of doubling the 2010 per capita GDP and personal income by 2020, China must register an annual average economic growth of 7.5 percent over the next few years, he said.

The second task facing the Chinese government, Li said, is to continuously improve people's livelihood by raising the income of urban and rural residents, in particular that of the poverty-stricken people, and expand the size of the middle-income class.

To fulfill these tasks, Li said China must build an innovative, clean government and government following the rule of law. "By building an innovative government, we must rely on reforms and opening-up to release economic and social vitality. By building a clean government, we will elevate our credibility, governance and efficiency," Li said. The premier who has a law degree stressed that building a government on the rule of law is fundamental.