Briefs, March 6, 2013
Communist Party chief Xi Jinping said it takes courage for China to embrace new paradigms and to break vested interests groups' resistance in order to push deep reforms.
Communist Party chief Xi Jinping said it takes courage for China to embrace new paradigms and to break vested interests groups' resistance in order to push deep reforms. Xi told a Shanghai NPC delegation meeting yesterday that the government should give more respect to the law of the market and do better at advancing reform and opening up. "We must have the courage like gnawing at a hard bone and wading through a dangerous shoal," said Xi. Staff Reporters
Premier-in-waiting Li Keqiang said the country must speed up its development of information technology, and its progress in industrialisation, urbanisation and agricultural modernisation. Talking to the Shandong delegation on the sidelines of the National People's Congress, he said productivity must be raised to improve the standard of living in the countryside. Verna Yu
Minister of Civil Affairs Li Liguo said that most orphans on the mainland were adopted by religious organisations, mostly Buddhist temples. The ministry did a month-long survey early this year and found that more than 9,000 orphans had been adopted, Li said. He said that the government acknowledged individuals who adopted orphans out of charity, but orphans should only be sent to orphanages approved by the government. Stephen Chen
NPC and CPPCC deputies commented on a government report on population policy by Premier Wen Jiabao . "As the population-ageing era comes, China's first demographic dividend will end sooner or later. We should make use of the next demographic dividend by focusing on quality," said Cai Fang , an NPC deputy. Yang Yunyan, a member of the national political advisory body, said a balance should be reached between population development, economic and social development, resources and the environment. Xinhua
Deputy Foreign Minister Zhang Zhijun said China and Japan had maintained communication in recent months despite the bitter territorial dispute over East China Sea islands. Stephen Chen
China is set to launch its first national census of geographic conditions, according to a State Council circular. It said the census will target natural and cultural elements within China's land territory. Xinhua
