Annual Session of Top Legislature Opens in Beijing

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Wednesday, March 06, 2002

Annual Session of Top Legislature Opens in Beijing

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Premier Zhu Reports Government Work

The Fifth Session of the Ninth National People's Congress (NPC), China's top legislature, opened Tuesday morning at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, and Premier Zhu Rongji delivered a report on the work of the government.

Senior Chinese leaders Jiang Zemin, Li Ruihuan, Hu Jintao, Wei Jianxing and Li Lanqing attended the opening meeting presided over by Li Peng, executive chairman of the session and executive chairman of the presidium of the session.

Focuses of government work

In his report, Premier Zhu reviewed the achievements China scored last year and analyzed the existing problems. He said that China's gross domestic product (GDP) in 2001 reached 9.5933 trillion yuan (about 1.1558 trillion U.S. dollars), an increase of 7.3 percent over the previous year.

Zhu said the government will concentrate on the following eight aspects of work this year:

-- Expanding and fostering domestic demand to ensure a relatively rapid economic growth;

-- Accelerating the development of agriculture and the rural economy and increasing the income of farmers;

-- Pushing forward economic restructuring and the reform of the economic system;

-- Adapting to the new situation brought about by China's entry into the World Trade Organization (WTO) and opening wider to the outside world;

-- Thoroughly rectifying and regulating the order of the market economy;

-- Implementing the strategy of developing the country through science and education and the strategy of sustainable development, and promoting spiritual civilization;

-- Further transforming government functions and improving the work style; and

-- Doing a good job in foreign affairs.

WTO challenges

What's noteworthy in the premier's report this year is how China acts to meet the challenges as a member of the WTO. The premier mentioned the word WTO a dozen times in his 15,000-Chinese character report.

"In recent years and especially over the past few months, we have done a great deal of work to meet the requirements for China' s WTO entry," Zhu said, adding that the review of relevant state laws and statutes has been completed by and large, and a number of laws and regulations have been repealed, revised and formulated.

Beginning January 1 this year, China lowered its general tariff level from 15.3 percent to 12 percent, involving more than 5,300 taxable items, Zhu said.

This year China will concentrate on increasing its international competitiveness, quickly improve the system of economic laws and statutes related to the WTO and guarantee fair and efficient law enforcement.

"We need to study, master and fully exercise all the rights that China enjoys as a member of the WTO, ... and we need to provide training to public servants, especially leading cadres, and to managerial staff in large and medium-sized enterprises," Zhu said. "We need to bring forth, through training, a contingent of people who are well acquainted with WTO rules and international economic cooperation and trade."

Order of market economy

Unlike his previous government work reports, the premier this time gave an independent chapter on rectifying and regulating the order of the market economy, stressing that the work should be carried out in an all-round way while emphasizing key points, and that both temporary and permanent solutions should be sought with the focus placed on the permanent solution.

"We need to accelerate the establishment of credibility records for enterprises, intermediary agencies and individuals, making those with a record of bad conduct pay a price for what they have done, having their credibility ruined and even punishing them according to law," he said.

"Thoroughly rectifying and regulating the order of the market economy is urgently needed to expand domestic demand and ensure sound economic growth," the premier said.

"This is an inevitable choice we should make in consequence of China's entry into the WTO and the new steps taken to open China to the outside world. This is also an important measure to improve the socialist market economic system, upon which success or failure of China's modernization hinges."

The premier said that China plans to issue 150 billion yuan (1. 81 billion U.S. dollars) of long-term treasury bonds this year, and the proceeds will be used mainly for treasury bond-financed projects under construction, development projects in the western region, technological transformation of key enterprises, water diversion from the south to the north, and water resource conservation in Beijing and Tianjin.

Through separating the functions of the government from those of enterprises and through restructuring enterprises, the central government will break industrial monopolies and establish a proper degree of competition.

"We need to reform the management systems of the telecommunications, power and civil aviation industries as soon as possible and lose no time in drawing up plans for the reform of the railway management system," Zhu said.

The Taiwan issue

The premier also voiced the support of Shanghai in its bid for hosting the World's Fair for 2010.

On the Taiwan question, Zhu said that "we insist on resuming cross-Straits dialogue and negotiation on the basis of the one- China principle. We are working to further expand cross-Straits economic and cultural exchanges and develop cross-Straits relations so as to establish the `three direct links' as soon as possible."

A total of 2,866 deputies to the Ninth NPC listened to the 90- minute report and gave thundering applause time and again.

Also present at the meeting were more than 2,000 members of the Ninth National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), which is also having its annual session, as well as officials of central and local governments and various non-Communist parties, and personages with no party affiliation.

Tung Chee Hwa, chief executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, and Edmund Ho Hau Wah, chief executive of the Macao Special Administrative Region, also attended the opening meeting, which attracted foreign envoys from 123 countries.

The opening meeting was broadcast live by China National Radio, China Radio International, China Central Television and Xinhuanet.

Major Points of Premier Zhu's Report on the Work of the Government

The Fifth Session of the Ninth National People's Congress (NPC) opened at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing Tuesday morning. Top Chinese leaders Jiang Zemin, Li Peng, Zhu Rongji, Li Ruihuan, Hu Jintao, Wei Jianxing and Li Lanqing attend the opening meeting. Premier Zhu Rongji delivered the Report on the Work of the Government. (In Detail)

People's Daily Hails the Opening of NPC Annual Session

China's leading newspaper, the People's Daily, publishes an editorial Tuesday hailing the opening of the fifth session of the Ninth National People's Congress (NPC). (In Detail)

Feature: NPC and CPPCC Sessions

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