Emphasis shifts from meeting economic targets to helping vulnerable groups
Providing assistance to vulnerable groups and resolving social conflicts are the key issues the government has tried to address in the 11th Five-Year Programme, according to government advisers and academics.
Unlike the previous five-year plans, which put much greater emphasis on building up infrastructure and economic targets, the communique adopted by Communist Party leaders yesterday indicated that the leadership now showed greater commitment to social reforms in education, health care, employment and social security.
Analysts said the leadership now realised that addressing the needs of vulnerable groups in society was critical to resolving rising social conflicts.
Fang Ning , a deputy director of the Institute of Politics at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), said the leadership's main concern was reducing social conflict.
'It is a positive way to address social conflicts. Tackling social conflicts is one of the main problems the 11th Five-Year Programme tries to resolve,' Professor Fang said.
'In the past, five-year plans focused on development and growth. But this new programme tries to resolve social conflicts by creating a more balanced society.'