Country's biggest challenge is negotiating middle income gap

China's top economic planner said on Tuesday that the country's biggest challenge in the next five years is to negotiate the middle income gap.

Xu Shaoshi, chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), said that China can achieve its targets set out in the country's 12th five-year plan, which runs between 2011 and 2015. He was speaking at a briefing on the country's 13th five-year plan.

The Communist Party concluded a meeting last week to finalise its 13th Five-Year Plan, a blueprint for economic and social development between 2016 and 2020.