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The First Session of the 10th National People's Congress (NPC),
China's top legislature, opened in the Great Hall of the People at
9 a.m. Wednesday, and Premier Zhu Rongji delivered a report on the
government work to 2,916 deputies from across China.
The meeting was presided over by Wu Bangguo, an executive chairman
of the presidium of the session.
Other top leaders present include Jiang Zemin, Hu Jintao, Li Peng,
Li Ruihuan, Li Lanqing, Wen Jiabao, Jia Qinglin, Zeng Qinghong,
Huang Ju, Wu Guanzheng, Li Changchun and Luo Gan.
The session, a major event after the convocation of the 16th
National Congress of the Communist Party of China, is to witness a
change in the leadership of the state and government, and has thus
become the focus of public attention.
In
his 40-page report, which falls in two parts in about 23,000
Chinese characters, Zhu reviewed the achievements the government
made over the past five years and put forward proposals on this
year's government work.
The premier said that over the past five years since the current
government took office, China's economy maintained good growth
momentum, and important advances were made in the strategic
restructuring of the economy.
China's scientific and technological innovativeness improved
noticeably, and education developed vigorously in the past five
years, Zhu said.
The reform and opening up achieved many breakthroughs, and the
basis of a socialist market economy was established, he said,
noting that China had succeeded in improving the people's standard
of living and in establishing on the whole a relatively affluent
society in the past five years.
While "outstanding" achievements were scored in building socialist
democracy and promoting socialist spiritual civilization, national
defense and army building made new strides.
The premier attributed the above achievements to the efforts of
this government in nine aspects as follows:
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implementing the proactive fiscal policy and the prudent monetary
policy;
--
working hard to improve the quality and efficiency of economic
growth;
--
consolidating the position of agriculture as the foundation of the
national economy;
--
effectively strengthening reemployment work and development of the
social security system;
--
actively participating in international economic and technological
cooperation and competition;
--
raising the nation's scientific and technological capability for
innovation and improving the overall quality of the population;
--
promoting a coordinated development of the economy, population,
resources and the environment;
--
doing everything possible to maintain social stability and creating
a favorable environment for reform and development; and
--
endeavoring to build a clean, diligent, efficient and pragmatic
government.
Zhu also made some proposals on the government work this year as
follows:
--
to continue to follow the policy of expanding domestic demand, and
earnestly promote economic restructuring;
--
to give more support to the development of the western region;
--
to promote all-round development of agriculture and the rural
economy with priority given to raising farmers' income;
--
to continue deepening economic restructuring and open still wider
to the outside world;
--
to improve the work of job creation and social security;
--
to implement the strategy of realizing national rejuvenation
through science, technology and education and the strategy of
sustainable development; and
--
to make further efforts to earnestly improve the government itself,
and strengthen the building of socialist democracy, the legal
system and spiritual civilization.
"Maintaining the prosperity, stability and development in Hong Kong
and Macao is an unshakable goal of ours," Zhu said.
The mainland must implement the basic principles of "peaceful
reunification" and "one country, two systems" and the eight-point
proposal for the settlement of the Taiwan question, strive for an
early resumption of dialogue and negotiation between the two sides
of the Taiwan Straits on the basis of the one-China principle.
As
for the work of foreign affairs, Zhu said China will unswervingly
pursue an independent foreign policy of peace.
China will continue to consolidate and strengthen its solidarity
and cooperation with other developing countries, continue to
cultivate friendly ties with its neighbors, increase regional
cooperation and bring its exchanges and cooperation with
neighboring countries to a new high.
China will continue to improve and develop its relations with
developed countries and, on the basis of the Five Principles of
Peaceful Coexistence, broaden the area of common interests and
appropriately iron out differences.
The premier said China will continue to take an active part in
multilateral diplomacy and promote democracy in international
relations and diversity in development models.
"We remain opposed to all forms of hegemonism and power politics
and stand against terrorism in all its manifestations," Zhu
said.
Zhu's report won enthusiastic applause from among the deputies and
observers attending the opening meeting.
More than 2000 members of the National Committee of the Chinese
People's Political Consultative Conference, diplomatic envoys from
124 countries and representatives of international organizations
heard Zhu's report.
The meeting attracted some 2,000 Chinese and foreign reporters. It
was also televised live by major Chinese media such as the China
National Radio, the China Central Television, the China Radio
International and Xinhuanet.com.
According to the agenda of the session, the deputies will elect the
new state president, chairman of the Central Military Commission of
the People's Republic of China, NPC Standing Committee chairman,
president of the Supreme People's Court and procurator-general of
the Supreme People's Procuratorate, and decide on the candidates
for the premier and members of the State Council, or the Chinese
cabinet.
The deputies will also deliberate a package of organizational
reform submitted by the State Council.
(Xinhua News Agency March 5, 2003)
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