The ongoing fifth sessions of China's tenth National People's Congress (NPC) and the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) have been the focal points of the foreign press, which on Tuesday extensively concentrated on Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao's government work report.

 

Newspaper The Australian reported China's pursuit of green development on its front page, while the Sydney Morning Herald focused on China's plans to gear down its economic development to eight percent in 2007 and build a new socialist countryside.

 

The Australian Financial Review said Wen's report indicated that China will make a greater resolution to avoid economic overheating and maintain stable development.

 

Japan's Kyodo News reported late Monday that China will increase expenditure on medical care and public health by 86.8 percent this year.

 

Japanese newspaper Asahi Shimbun reported that China's 2007 budget plan will increase expenditure on rural development, healthcare and social security. It also noted in a separate article that the Chinese government aims to curb corruption, illegal land seizures and address employment concerns.

 

The Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper said that Premier Wen's government report showed that China strives for sustainable development, quoting Wen as saying that China will not have a high growth rate as its only goal.

 

Many Italian media, including Ansa news agency and the newspapers La Repubblica and Il Corriere Della Sera emphasized some details of Premier Wen's report, such as the draft property rights law and the corporate income tax law.

 

They said that the two laws, which focus on protecting private property and equaling income taxes between domestic and foreign companies, will surely draw attention from foreign investors.

 

Romania's official Rompres news agency also picked up on Wen's report, saying that attention should be drawn to the priorities of government work this year, such as narrowing the gap between urban and rural areas, promoting social justice and protecting the environment.

 

The Associated Press reported that the government has declared that it will raise expenditure by a larger margin to increase the income of the urban poor and people in underdeveloped and rural areas and improve social services, while steering China's vigorous economy towards more stable development.

 

Reuters news agency cited Wen as saying that China will make greater efforts to save energy and decrease pollution in 2007 to ensure the normal operation of its economy after double-digit growth in four straight years.

 

The NPC is China's national legislature and the CPPCC is the top advisory body. The NPC and the CPPCC opened their annual fortnight-long sessions on Monday and Saturday, respectively.

 

(Xinhua News Agency March 7, 2007)