Premier Zhu Rongji delivered, on behalf of this government whose
term is expiring, the Report on the Work of the Government at the
opening of the First Session of the 10th National People's Congress
(NPC) Wednesday.
The report, in 40 pages and over 23,000 characters, gives a
retrospect on the government work in the past five years and offers
proposals for the government work this year.
China's economy maintained a high growth rate during the past five
years, and important advances were made in the strategic
restructuring of the economy, according to the premier.
China's GDP rose from 7.4 trillion yuan in 1997 to 10.2 trillion
yuan in 2002, an average annual increase of 7.7 percent, when
calculated in constant prices. National tax revenue grew by a large
margin every year. Total fiscal revenue rose from 0.8651 trillion
yuan in 1997 to 1.8914 trillion yuan in 2002, an average annual
increase of 205.3 billion yuan. China's foreign exchange reserves
climbed from US$139.9 billion to US$286.4 billion.
Remarkable achievements were made in infrastructure development;
the program for developing the western region made a good start;
and the country's capability for sustainable development was
enhanced, the premier said.
In
the past five years, the reform and opening achieved many
breakthroughs; and the basis of a socialist market economy was
established; the ownership structure was further readjusted and
improved, the modern market system developed in a comprehensive
way; and reforms of the banking, fiscal, taxation, investment and
financing systems were deepened; the framework of a social security
system was established by and large.
China's opening up was expanded in greater scope and depth. China's
foreign trade has taken several big steps forward. The combined
volume of imports and exports increased from US$325.2 billion in
1997 to US$620.8 billion in 2002. In the past five years, the
amount of foreign direct investment actually used over the past
five years came to US$226.1 billion, more than the total used in
the 1979-1997 period.
China became a full member of the World Trade Organization (WTO)in
December 2001, which was a new landmark in our opening up, Zhu
said.
Over the past five years, China has succeeded in improving the
people's standard of living and in establishing on the whole a
relatively affluent society.
According to the report, the per capita disposable income of urban
dwellers went up from 5,160 yuan in 1997 to 7,703 yuan in 2002, an
average annual increase of 8.6 percent in real terms. The per
capita net income of rural households increased from 2,090 yuan to
2,476 yuan, up by an annual average of 3.8 percent in real terms.
The balance of savings deposits of urban and rural residents rose
from 4.6 trillion yuan to 8.7 trillion yuan.
Over the past five years, China's scientific and technological
innovativeness has improved noticeably, and education developed
vigorously; outstanding achievements were scored in building
socialist democracy and a socialist spiritual civilization;
national defense and army building have made new strides; fresh
progress was made in promoting the great cause of national
reunification; and a new chapter was begun in diplomatic work.
In
his report, the premier summed up his experience in fulfilling the
government job as follows:
--
Maintaining the right direction and intensity of macroeconomic
regulation and implementing the proactive fiscal policy and the
prudent monetary policy;
--
Unswervingly taking economic restructuring as paramount and working
hard to improve the quality and efficiency of economic growth;
--
Steadfastly giving priority to solving the problems facing
agriculture, rural areas and farmers and consolidating the position
of agriculture as the foundation of the national economy;
--
Steadfastly carrying forward the reform of state-owned enterprises
and effectively strengthening reemployment work and development of
the social security system;
--
Steadfastly opening wider to the outside world and actively
participating in international economic and technological
cooperation and competition;
--
Implementing the strategy of invigorating the country through
science, technology and education, raising the nation's scientific
and technological capability for innovation and improving the
overall quality of the population;
--
Continuing to take the path of sustainable development and
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;
--
Continuing to transform government functions and endeavoring to
build a clean, diligent, efficient and pragmatic government.
In
his proposals for the new government, Zhu said, "Based on our
overall analysis of the situation at home and abroad, we set the
target for 2003 economic growth at around seven percent. This
growth rate is both necessary and achievable through hard
work."
He
proposed that this year the new government should continue to
expand domestic demand and achieve a steady and rapid economic
growth; promote all-round development of agriculture and the rural
economy; aggressively push forward the readjustment of the
industrial structure and the development of the western region;
deepen economic restructuring and opening still wider to the
outside world; further efforts to improve the work of job creation
and social security; conscientiously implement the strategy of
national rejuvenation through science, technology and education and
the strategy of sustainable development; strengthen the building of
socialist democracy, the legal system and spiritual civilization;
and earnestly improve the government itself.
On
the issue of China's reunification, Zhu said, "Maintaining the
prosperity, stability and development in Hong Kong and Macao is an
unshakable goal of ours."
He
called for implementing the basic principles of "peaceful
reunification" and "one country, two systems" and the eight-point
Proposal for the settlement of the Taiwan question in an all-round
way, and striving for an early resumption of dialogue and
negotiation between the two sides of the Taiwan Straits on the
basis of the one-China principle, while vigorously promoting the
opening of the "three direct links" between the two sides.
On
the issue of international situation and China's diplomatic work,
the premier said that peace and development remain the themes of
the present era, and world multipolarization and economic
globalization are making headway amid twists and turns.
"We will unswervingly pursue an independent foreign policy of
peace, remain opposed to all forms of hegemonism and power politics
and stand against terrorism in all its manifestations," he
stressed.
(Xinhua News Agency March 5, 2003)
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