China's economy is expected to attain or surpass the government's annual growth target of around 6.5 percent this year, a chief economic planner said Saturday, Xinhua reported.

“The growth target of around 6.5 percent is expected to be fulfilled successfully, and it's possible to achieve even better results,” said He Lifeng, head of the National Development and Reform Commission, at a press conference on the sidelines of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China.

The GDP value will exceed 80 trillion yuan (about 12.1 trillion U.S. dollars) this year, he said.

The economy has seen a stronger trend of steady growth with structural progress and positive outlook this year, he told reporters.

China's GDP expanded 6.9 percent year on year to 59.3 trillion yuan in the first three quarters, holding steady from a 6.9-percent growth in the first half despite a slightly slower 6.8-percent increase in the third quarter, official data show.