Premier's dream is to eliminate poverty
Eradicating poverty remains a difficult task despite the mainland's rapid economic growth, the premier says.
He also conceded that statistics could not reflect the full extent of poverty in China.
'[The poverty line of] 625 yuan [a year] is based on price levels in 2000,' Premier Wen Jiabao told a group of Chinese immigrants and students in Brussels. 'This level is pretty low. If we raise the poverty line by 200 yuan, then 80 million people are living in poverty.'
The central government claimed to have eradicated poverty in most areas earlier this decade, leaving only 30 million people classified as poverty-stricken. But analysts have long pointed out that the poverty benchmark has been set too low and that the official statistics hide a larger problem.
Mr Wen said there was immense pressure to create jobs for the mainland's massive workforce. 'The registered urban unemployment rate is 4.3 per cent. Lay-offs [from state enterprises] amount to 5 million to 6 million [jobs per year]. With the development in education, there will be 2.8 million university graduates [this year],' he said.
'And there are also 100 million farmers looking for permanent or seasonal jobs in cities.'
Mr Wen said he wanted to expand compulsory education in rural areas to improve prospects for people growing up in impoverished regions.
He said one of his dreams was to provide jobs, health care and education for the nation's poorest people.
'People always say one should have dreams. I have dreams and wishes. I hope every Chinese can have a good life, every peasant child can go to school and every person reaching working age can have a job,' he said.
'And [I wish] people wouldn't have to worry about medical care if they are sick, particularly those in rural areas.'
