BEIJING, Dec. 31 (Xinhua) -- President Xi Jinping on Monday said that China's economy stayed within a reasonable range in 2018, when delivering a New Year speech.

Despite all sorts of risks and challenges, China pushed its economy toward high-quality development, speeded up fostering new growth drivers to replace old ones, and kept the economy within a reasonable range, he said.

The campaign to protect blue skies and defend the rivers and soil from pollution was going smoothly. The efforts to improve the people's wellbeing were intensified and their living standards were steadily raised, Xi said.

National strategies including the coordinated development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, the development of Yangtze Economic Belt, and the construction of Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area were steadily implemented, according to Xi.

Xi also mentioned the achievements he witnessed during his inspection tours: the improved ecology along the Yangtze River, the agricultural harvest in northeast provinces, the reform and vitality in Shenzhen and Shanghai, as well as the opening of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge.

These achievements are all thanks to the hard work of the Chinese people of all ethnic groups, he said.