China will attach greater importance to targeted control measures to keep economic growth in a proper range, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said on Tuesday.

The country will focus on important issues in the economy, and make efforts to tackle them in a "precise, prompt and appropriate" manner, the premier said.

Meanwhile, presetting and fine-tuning economic policies will be carried out along with risk prevention, said the premier while addressing the nation's top academicians and scientists at a conference in Beijing.

Li said that the country will continue to innovate its macro-control ideologies, draw economic momentum from reforms and restructuring, and improve people's livelihoods.

Li acknowledged that the economy still faces heavy downward pressure and imbalanced regional development. The Chinese economy grew 7.4 percent year on year in the first quarter, marking the weakest pace in 18 months. The government aims for an annual growth rate of around 7.5 percent for 2014.