BEIJING (Reuters) - China has budgeted for a national fiscal deficit of 1.62 trillion yuan ($258 billion) in 2015, the Ministry of Finance said on Thursday in its work plan unveiled at the annual parliament meeting.

The government aims for this year's deficit to be equivalent to 2.3 percent of gross domestic product (GDP), Premier Li Keqiang said in remarks prepared for delivery at today's opening of parliament, the National People's Congress.

The fiscal deficit to GDP ratio was budgeted at 2.1 percent in 2014.

($1 = 6.2701 Chinese yuan)

(Reporting by Judy Hua, Kevin Yao, Koh Gui Qing, Kathy Chen, and Dominique Patton)