Reforms still on track, says Li
PREMIER Mr Li Peng rang in the Year of the Rooster by calling for the country to keep up its fast pace of economic reform, but warning that steps had to be taken to ensure economic growth remained on an even keel.
''This is the first year of completely carrying out the spirit of the Party's 14th Congress,'' Mr Li told top officials in Beijing.
''Under the guidance of comrade Deng Xiaoping's theory of building socialism with Chinese characteristics and the party's basic line, we must further emancipate our minds, seek truth from facts, grasp the opportunities, enthusiastically push forward reform and economic construction, and accelerate development of each social cause,'' he said.
Inherently conservative in both ideology and in his preference for a system giving considerable weight to central planning, Mr Li has over the year or so become more moderate.
Mr Li's comments marking the Chinese Lunar New Year are important because they sent a signal to lower-level officials that economic reform is still on track.
''We should continue to speed up the reform pace of building a socialist market economic system,''' he said. To nurture a market system, further reforms were needed in planning, finance tax collection and trade as well as such areas as housing and socialwelfare.
Over the coming year, China would ''further expand opening up to the outside world, assiduously develop imports and exports, and make positive use of overseas finance, technology and markets,'' he said.
Reviewing the past year, in which the economy expanded by 12 per cent, Mr Li said ''some difficulties and prominent problems'' had arisen. But these had already been given due attention and were in the process of being resolved, he said.
Mr Li said a relatively fast pace of growth should be accompanied by improvements in infrastructure and efficiency. Supply of transport, energy and important raw materials had to be guaranteed to keep the economy running smoothly.
Investment in fixed capital should be increased by an ''appropriate degree'' so as to ensure development of key construction projects and to raise the efficiency of investment.
Government expenditures should be kept in line, and bank credits and money supply should remain within reasonable limits so as to maintain economic equilibrium, he said.
While pursuing economic reform, Mr Li said the country should also pay attention to the construction of ''spiritual civilisation'' by stressing education of its youth in patriotism, collectivism and socialism, and, more generally, by ''arousing the warmth of patriotism, increasing the cohesiveness of the Chinese people and advocating correct ideals, values, and beliefs''.
The premier also said work should be done to improve the legal system so as to fight serious criminal offences and economic crimes.
