1st Ld-Writethru: China's economy within "appropriate" range: gov't work report

China's economy, which grew 6.9 percent last year, was within "an appropriate range," according to a government work report available to media Saturday morning before the opening of the annual parliamentary session.

The growth, one of the fastest in world's major economies, propelled China's gross domestic product to 67.7 trillion yuan (10.4 trillion U.S. dollars), according to the report.

In 2015, China's grain production grew for the 12th year in a row. Consumer price index, a main gauge of inflation, increased 1.4 percent year on year, a six-year low and well below the official 3-percent target.

"Of particular note, the employment situation overall remained stable, with 13.12 million new urban jobs created in 2015, surpassing the year' s target and becoming an economic highlight," the report said. Endi