Beijing will give people better life, top official vows
A top Communist Party leader pledged yesterday that Beijing would improve people's livelihoods in order to promote social stability and harmony.
In the keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, which he chairs, Jia Qinglin, the No 4 leader in the ruling hierarchy, also stressed the need to push economic restructuring and rebalance the world's No2 economy.
'People's livelihoods are not only an important economic and social issue, but also a major political issue,' Jia said.
The CPPCC is a largely ceremonial advisory body that meets once a year in conjunction with the annual meeting of the National People's Congress, which opens tomorrow.
Analysts said that the stress on the political significance of the livelihood issue suggested the government would spare no effort in investing more resources in that area.
This year's meetings are attracting domestic and foreign attention because they are expected to launch the economic plan for the next five years.
The annual sessions also come at a politically sensitive time, with the Communist Party leadership occupied by fears about possible fallout from the 'jasmine revolutions' sweeping the Arab world.
In an address to 2,200-plus delegates in the cavernous Great Hall of the People, Jia said the world's largest developing economy needed to reform the income redistribution system, stabilise prices and strengthen the social security system to narrow the gap between rich and poor and improve people's livelihoods.
He also urged the CPPCC delegates to devote their efforts towards speeding up the construction of affordable housing, encouraging compulsory education, addressing food quality and safety issues and improving the medical insurance system and health policies in urban and rural areas.
Livelihood issues are expected to dominate the airwaves during the 11-day NPC session.
Pan Qinglin, a CPPCC delegate, said livelihood issues topped his concerns and those of his colleagues and would become the focus of discussion and debate.
In their new China Mindmap report, Bank of America and Merrill Lynch strategists said: 'Given what is happening in the Middle East, we believe that the concept of 'harmonious society', President Hu Jintao's mantra, has assumed added importance.'
The US investment bank said the leadership's major concerns included inflation, income growth and redistribution, property prices, corruption, affordable healthcare, food safety standards, pollution and traffic jams.
On Sunday, Premier Wen Jiabao said that fighting inflation was a priority for China and the government must ward off threats to social stability stemming from rapid price increases.
