China PM unveils future roadmap
November 11, 2012, 7:59 pm

Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao. [Getty Images]

Jiabao was speaking to the ongoing 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China on Thursday afternoon.

The next five years would see China work towards increasing people’s income and fighting corruption.

He warned also of the clouds of repercussions of the international financial crisis looming large for a few more years.

Steady economic growth and a strong reforms push with economic restructuring in a bid to avoid instable, imbalanced, uncoordinated and unsustainable economic development would have to be pursued by China, he said at a panel discussion of the Tianjin delegation to the event.

Jiabao also spoke about much-anticipated political structural reforms.

He said political and economic reforms have to go hand in hand so as to improve democracy, safeguard social justice and fairness, protect the freedom and equal rights of the people and bring their initiative and creativity into full play.

“In the next five years or beyond, people are very much concerned about some issues that need our special attention,” he said.

Immediate tasks facing the incumbent government are to stabilize the Chinese economy and constitute reform plans on income distribution and compensation for expropriated rural collective lands, Jiabao said.

Increasing income of urban and rural Chinese, improving the social security system, and bridging the rich-poor divide alongwith regional disparities need to be addressed, the Chinese Premier said.

Anti-corruption combat is crucial, Wen reasserted, as he has several times in the past, because it is a “matter of life or death” to the Party and the country.

To this end, institutional building should be strengthened to uproot graft and promote officials’ integrity and clean government.

He also put the onus on the Communist Party which he said shoulders the greatest responsibility for China’s future.

“We should make special efforts to consolidate and imporove the Party’s leadership, enhance democracy, optimize the legal system and practice the rule of law.

“China faces quite a lot of problems, especially the arduous task in reform and development. But I think the three aspects mentioned above are of great significance and pressing,” Jiabao said.

Source: Agencies