The 10th National People's Congress convened its Third
Session?in Beijing on Saturday morning. Premier Wen
Jiabao delivers a government work report. In his report, Wen
reviewed the social and economic development in 2004 and outlined
the work tasks for the year 2005.
Premier Wen said China's economic and social development plan
for 2004 was implemented satisfactorily by and large as outstanding
economic problems were alleviated, negative, destabilizing factors
held in check and national economy continued its excellent trend of
rapid growth, good performance and strong vitality.
These achievements are listed in the Report on the
Implementation of the 2004 Plan for National Economic and Social
Development and on the 2005 Draft Plan for National Economic and
Social Development, done by the National Development and Reform
Commission. The report has been submitted to the annual session of
the National People's Congress (NPC) and to be examined and
approved by the NPC deputies.
The report cites the major indices in the national economic and
social development in 2004. According to the report, China's GDP
reached 13.6515 trillion yuan in 2004, representing a year-on-year
rise of 9.5 percent and exceeding the target set at the beginning
of that year. There were 9.8 million urban residents entering the
workforce for the first time, 800,000 over the target; and the
registered urban unemployment rate was 4.2 percent, 0.5 percentage
points below the target.
Influenced by the rise of grain prices and soaring oil prices on
the international market, the consumer price index rose by 3.9
percent, slightly higher than the target of around 3 percent. Total
volume of imports and exports increased by 35.7 percent due to the
sustained world economic recovery and China's rapid economic
growth, says the report.
It says in 2004, the economy grew rapidly yet steadily, and
economic performance improved remarkably; adjustment of the
industrial structure was vigorously promoted, and weak sectors were
strengthened; further progress was made in the development of the
western region, and restructuring and transformation of northeast
China and other old industrial bases got off to a good start;
economic restructuring was further deepened, and China opened wider
to the outside world; undertakings in science and technology,
education, culture and health developed rapidly, and further
progress was made in ecological conservation and environmental
protection; and further progress was made in employment and social
security work, and people's lives continued to improve.
The report also points out the obstacles to maintaining steady
and rapid economic development: first, the agricultural
infrastructure remains weak; second, the driving force behind
investment growth is strong, and investment demand could return to
excessive levels; third, there are tight constraints on resources
and the environment; fourth, rural education, health, culture and
other social undertakings fall far short of demand; fifth, the
employment situation is gloomy and the income gap between some
members of society is too wide, and some low-income people lead
difficult lives; and sixth, deep-seated conflicts in economic and
social development have yet to be fundamentally eliminated.
For the year 2005, Premier Wen said in his report said China will
gear down its high-octane economy to a level lower than the
stunning 9.5 percent registered in 2004, as the government targets
an "appropriate" 8-percent GDP (gross domestic product) growth rate
this year.
It would be a "key job" for the government to keep the world's
fastest-growing economy developing on a "fast and stable" track,
Wen stressed.
"Neither a big up nor down in the economy is conducive to
economic growth, reform and opening-up drive and social
stability."
While high-speed economic growth and dramatic social changes
continue to distinguish China across the globe, Premier Wen said
the government will "strive to solve outstanding problems vital to
the immediate interests of the people, safeguard social stability
and build a harmonious socialist society" in 2005. Wen called for
more efforts to be made to serve the "harmony" drive.
In 2005, 10.9 billion yuan (US$1.3 billion) will be allocated
from the central budget to help laid-offs to be re-employed, 2.6
billion yuan (US$316.7 million) more than the last year. "Local
budgets will also increase allocations for the reemployment drive,"
said Wen.
The Chinese leader also pledged to extend down-to-earth aid to
rural areas to further spread compulsory education.
Starting this year, poor rural students covered by a national
poverty alleviation plan will be provided with free textbooks and
exempted from miscellaneous fees and those staying on campus will
receive living allowances. The policy will be extended to all
Chinese rural regions by 2007, according to Wen.
As an effort to help the country's 900 million farmers, a major
issue with a bearing on China's pursuit of harmony, government
departments at all levels across the country are urged to allocate
more than 200 billion yuan (about US$24 billion) this year for this
purpose, said an official of the State Council Friday.
While addressing the China's chronic coal mine safety problems,
the Chinese Premier vowed 3 billion yuan (US$365 million) to be
spent in 2005 to "help state-owned collieries upgrade their safety
technologies."
During the past five months, China has seen a number of fatal
coalmine accidents and the "industry in black" was smeared with the
blood of hundreds of miners.
"We should draw on the bitter lessons paid in blood that these
catastrophic accidents have taught," said Wen.
The premier also pledged to continue reforming the income
distribution system, another top concern of the general public as
indicated by many online polls done before this year's CPPCC and
NPC sessions.
To tackle the widespread discontent with graft and corruption,
the government will "continue to increase transparency of its work
and boost popular confidence in government."
The premier reiterated governments at all levels should engineer
economic growth and social progress with a scientific outlook on
development, shifting the government's development philosophy from
growth-centered to people-centered.
"The interests of the broad masses should be put in the first
place," Wen Jiabao said.
Twenty-six out of China's 31 provinces, municipalities and
autonomous regions have so far posted the abolishment of agro-tax,
a policy Wen set forth at last NPC session that benefits farmers at
the cost of the central government's fiscal revenues.
The NPC deputies burst into applause when the premier announced
agro-tax would be exempted across the country by 2006, two years
earlier than the original timetable.
Farmers' earnings now lag behind city residents not only in
amount, but also in growth rate -- being 7.7 percent for city
dwellers and 6.8 percent for rural people last year.
For urban residents, Wen vowed to create 9 million new jobs this
year after the country saw its registered urban unemployment rate
fall by an annualized one tenth of a percentage point to 4.2
percent by the end of last year, a minor but first decrease in
nearly a decade.
The central government will step up support for building of a
nationwide disease control and medical treatment system to cope
with emergency events like the SARS outbreak that killed hundreds
in the spring-summer of 2003.
Premier Wen Jiabao also said that the Chinese mainland would
continue working to restore consultation and negotiation between
the two sides of the Taiwan Straits under the one-China principle
and on the basis of equality.
"We will make the greatest possible effort to do anything
conducive to the development of cross-Straits relations and the
country's peaceful reunification," Wen said.
Wen said the mainland would adhere to the basic principles of
"peaceful reunification" and "one country, two systems" and the
eight-point proposal for the current stage of efforts to develop
cross-Straits relations and promote peaceful reunification of the
motherland, safeguard peace in the Taiwan Straits and facilitate
steady development of cross-Straits relations.
"We will encourage and promote visits by individuals and
economic and cultural exchanges and cooperation across the Straits.
We will encourage and facilitate establishment of the 'three direct
links' between the two sides," said Wen.
Wen said the Anti-Secession Law (draft), which will be
deliberated in the current NPC session, provides a full expression
of the mainland's unvarying position, which is that "we are working
most sincerely and energetically to bring about peaceful
reunification."
"This law represents the common will and strong determination of
the entire Chinese people to safeguard the sovereignty and
territorial integrity of the country and never allow secessionist
forces working for "Taiwan independence" to separate Taiwan from
China under any name or by any means," he said.
In the report, Wen Jiabao announced that China would complete
the task of trimming 200,000 military ranks this year.
Also at the opening of the Third Session, the Ministry of
Finance reported on the implementation of the central and local
budgets for 2004 and on the draft central and local budgets for
2005.
(Xinhua News Agency March 5, 2005)
