Premier Wen Jiabao pledged to tackle the mainland's yawning wealth gap in a speech marking the 62nd anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic.
'We will make great efforts to guarantee and better the livelihoods of the people, make it a top priority to improve the living standard of the people and resolve the problems that most concern the people and that have a direct impact on their interests,' Wen said in the speech at a banquet on Friday night.
He also used his National Day speech to pledge to push ahead with economic, political, cultural and social reform to ensure the democratic rights of the people, a fair legal system and social justice.
The premier urged the public to draw inspiration from the achievements of other countries and strive to contribute to the advancement of humankind.
But he ruled out any change to the nation's philosophy of 'socialism with Chinese characteristics'.
The emphasis on social justice marks a shift from Wen's previous National Day state banquet speeches, and comes amid rising social tensions as the pace of political reform fails to match the nation's rapid economic development over the last decade.