Education talk

Premier Wen Jiabao emphasised the importance of education to any modern society in an address to about 180 overseas Chinese and embassy staff in Wellington yesterday.

Two of the central government's recent accomplishments were abolishing the agricultural tax to help farmers and introducing free education for children in rural areas, he said.

'In the past, I have said, 'I have a dream. I hope to see that every child, whether wealthy or poor, can go to school'. Right now, it seems we have achieved this,' Mr Wen said.