Premier vows to further transform government functions

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Friday, March 05, 2004

Premier vows to further transform government functions

Premier Wen Jiabao Friday pledged to further transform government functions this year, urging that governments at all levels must fulfill all of their responsibilities.

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Premier Wen Jiabao Friday pledged to further transform government functions this year, urging that governments at all levels must fulfill all of their responsibilities.

Wen made the remarks in a report on the work of the government delivered at the opening of the Second Session of the Tenth National People's Congress, the top legislature of China.

The government bears heavy and demanding responsibilities in the effort to build a moderately prosperous society in all respects, he said, adding that governments and leading cadres at all levels need to adapt to new situations and tasks and continually raise their administrative and management ability.

The government must pay more attention to social administration and public service work. In particular, he said, "we need to speedup the establishment of emergency response mechanisms and improve the government's ability to deal with public crises."

While transforming government functions, efforts will be intensified to adhere to scientific and democratic policy-making, by integrating public participation, expert evaluation and government decision-making to ensure that the government's policies are scientific and correct.

Governments at all levels must exercise their power and perform their duties within the scope of their authority defined by law and in accordance with legal procedures, and consciously accept the oversight of the general public, the premier said.

"We must improve the government's style of work and improve the overall quality of public servants," he said. "We must work harder to build a clean government and fight more vigorously against corruption."

Concrete, prudent efforts to be made in political restructuring

Wen Jiabao said concrete and prudent efforts will be made this year to promote political restructuring, develop socialist democracy and improve the socialist legal system, on the road of strengthening democracy and the legal system and safeguarding national security and social stability.

"We will further expand democracy at the lowest levels of government, improve self-governance by villagers and urban residents, and respect the democratic rights of the government authorities and people at the lowest levels of government," Wen said in his report on the government work at the national legislature's annual session.

"We will uphold and improve the system of workers' conferences and other systems of democratic management practiced in government institutions and enterprises and protect the legitimate rights and interests of workers," while continuing to carefully carry out work related to ethnic minorities, religious groups and overseas Chinese, he said.

In order to promote common prosperity and progress for all our ethnic groups, the state will increase support for economic and social development in ethnic minority areas and intensify training of ethnic minorities in all fields of work.

He pledged to fully implement the policy of freedom of religious belief, handle religious affairs in accordance with the law, help religious organizations adhere to the principle of independence and self-governance, and actively guide religions to adapt to socialist society.

"We will improve our work concerning overseas Chinese, their relatives in China and returned overseas Chinese, and fully utilize their unique role in promoting the reunification of the motherland and the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation," said the premier.

Priority should be given to legislation for dealing with emergencies, protecting farmers' rights and interests, safeguarding employment and social security and developing social undertakings.

"We will work hard to improve the quality of government legislation. We must solicit opinions from all sectors of society when drafting important laws and administrative regulations that affect the vital interests of the people. We will work to improve legal and notary services and carefully carry out legal assistance work," he said.

The legitimate rights and interests of women, minors and the handicapped shall be protected as prescribed by law, he said.

"We will increase publicity and education concerning the law in order to create a good social environment in which the people study the law, understand the legal system and abide by the law," the premier said.

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Premier Wen delivers government work report

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