"These measures are all for the people," Wang said. "As local officials, my colleagues and I pay particular attention to promoting democracy, listening to the opinions of the masses, and protecting their interests."

He said that officials should heed Wen's demand that devote themselves to sustaining economic growth, ensuring the welfare of the people, and maintaining social stability.

But critics complain of government interference in the economy, weak public administration and poor-quality public services. All too often, officials pay scant attention to the law; many are formalistic and bureaucratic, and corruption is widespread.

To resolve these issues, Premier Wen called for the thoroughgoing reform of administration focusing on transforming the functions of government.

"Officials at all levels should ensure government is devoted to providing services, strive to create a fair development environment for all firms of all types, deliver quality public services to the masses and uphold social justice," Wang said.

Shangqiu City has a population of more than 8 million, but of this number, around 1.5 million have left to work elsewhere. Figures from the city's Bureau of Human Resources showed that 66,000 of them had returned home by December 2009 because of the financial crisis.

Wang said the local government had provided free training and held job fairs to help them find work, and had invested 2.841 billion yuan in infrastructure construction.

"The government should give greater weight to public services and administration," Wang told China.org.cn. "My colleagues and I aim to rapidly improve and extend the coverage of public services."