China opened its annual economic planning conference in Beijing yesterday and state planners expressed confidence the country will witness another year of robust economic growth in 2001.
State Planning Development Minister Zeng Peiyan presided over the opening of the three-day conference. Xinhua quoted Mr Zeng as saying China would stick to its pro-active fiscal policy in the coming year.
The planning conference largely echoed an economic conference held last week.
In the earlier meeting, top leaders expressed satisfaction that China's economy grew eight per cent this year and forecast a growth rate of at least seven per cent next year.
They also emphasised the importance of laying a solid groundwork for accession to the World Trade Organisation in the coming year in order to maintain the economic momentum.
In his opening speech yesterday, Mr Zeng stressed that the Government would again rely on issuing bonds to finance expensive infrastructure projects.
This policy, which is basically aimed at increasing government spending to boost the economy, would be supplemented by a 'stable' monetary policy to 'reinforce the currently good economic situation' of the country.