Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao (溫家寶) yesterday pledged greater support for education and healthcare over the next year and said the government would tackle sources of social unrest such as environmental problems, land seizures and privatization of state industries.
In a speech at the opening of the National People's Congress annual session, Wen also promised technology upgrades for China's sprawling but largely outdated armed forces and said the government would target "extravagance and waste" among some officials.
"We must put people first, promote faster progress in social programs, work energetically to solve the most practical problems that are of greatest concern to the people ... and ensure that all of the people share in the fruits of reform and development," Wen said.
Wen -- in a 135-minute speech at the cavernous Great Hall of the People in central Beijing -- also said China will work with other states to address global security threats, but he gave no details.
Shift
Wen's budget priorities reflected Beijing's recent focus on shifting spending to education, healthcare and other social programs that have been neglected while the communist government concentrated on boosting investment and trade.
Wen and other Chinese leaders have promised repeatedly to close a growing gap between China's rich and poor, which they worry threatens political stability and the ruling party's hold on power.
Wen's speech, delivered with top Communist Party leaders on the stage behind him, was met with applause from the 2,890 legislators in the largely powerless National People's Congress.
"We're very happy because we're finally seeing some breakthroughs in rural education and that's going to have a major effect on improving fairness in society," said delegate Sun Pengjun, a teacher representing Jilin Province.
Wen called on banks to not only increase credit to rural areas, but to strictly limit loans to industries that consume large amounts of energy or are highly polluting.
Wen said to protect the environment, highly polluting small thermal power plants and "backward iron foundries and steel mills" would be shut, and market forces and taxes would be used to save energy and cut pollution in other industries such as cement and aluminum.
`Bedrock'
Tuition and other fees for all rural students will be eliminated, easing financial burdens on 150 million rural households, the premier said. He said spending on rural primary and middle schools will be boosted by 21 percent to 223.5 billion yuan (US$29 billion).
"Education is the bedrock of China's development and fairness in education is an important form of social fairness," he said, adding the government would create national scholarships and tuition assistance for colleges and vocational schools.
Wen pledged more support for healthcare, especially in rural areas where 90 percent of the population have no health insurance and little access to doctors.
Wen said a trial cooperative medical care system would cover 80 percent of China, with the government more than doubling subsidies to it to 10.1 billion yuan.
He promised almost 235 billion yuan in increased spending on old age pensions, workers' compensation and other forms of social security.
Taiwan
Wen also repeated Beijing's opposition to efforts by Taiwanese activists to make the island's de facto independence permanent.
He said China would promote direct transport and communications links across the Taiwan Strait.
"We firmly believe that with the efforts of all Chinese people, including our Taiwan compatriots, complete reunification of China will definitely be realized," he said, to sustained applause from delegates.
Military spending
Wen also said the government would speed up the transformation of China's 2.3 million armed forces into a high-tech fighting force.
On Sunday, China announced it will boost military spending by 17.8 percent this year, the biggest jump in more than a decade.
National People's Congress spokesman Jiang Enzhu (
China's military has been criticized abroad for not being open about its spending.
US Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte, who was visiting Beijing on Sunday, urged more dialogue between the Pentagon and the Chinese military "so that we have a bit better understanding of exactly what it is that the government of China has in mind with respect to its military modernization."
Addressing protests by farmers and workers over corruption and land seizures, Wen said the government would act quickly to address such complaints.
"We will actively, yet prudently, proceed with reforms in the political system and accelerate the development of democracy with Chinese characteristics," he said.
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