Strengthening the public finances to spread wealth more widely would be a priority of his second term, Premier Wen Jiabao promised yesterday as he tried to address one of the most pressing issues raised by the National People's Congress.
'I've resolved to push ahead with reforms to public finance in my next five years,' Mr Wen said at his annual press conference on the last day of the NPC's annual meeting.
'Public money should be better spent to meet public needs.'
In a subtle acknowledgement of the administration's lack of openness and transparency on government spending, Mr Wen described the public finance reform as something 'rarely talked about in the past'. It would, however, figure high in future economic restructuring, he said.
Echoing the concerns of NPC deputies and Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference delegates about the government's inadequate social policies, Mr Wen promised to shift priorities further away from the overriding pursuit of growth to more balanced economic and social development.
A chronicle of the country's fiscal evolution should reflect not only economic growth but also social equality and justice, Mr Wen said.
The ultimate purpose of the public finance revamp was to optimise the mode of growth while improving people's livelihoods and the environment, he added.