Wen Jiabao pinpoints key tasks facing China in five years

BEIJING, Nov. 9 (Xinhua) -- Increasing people's income, fighting corruption and enhancing the Party building are the focal tasks to be addressed in the next five years, Wen Jiabao told delegates to the ongoing 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China Thursday afternoon.

He said at a panel discussion of the Tianjin delegation to the event that repercussions of the international financial crisis will linger for a few years.

China must maintain a steady and relatively fast economic growth and push forward reform and economic restructuring in a bid to avoid instable, imbalanced, uncoordinated and unsustainable economic development, he said.

The political structural reform must be advanced simultaneously so as to improve democracy, safeguard social justice and fairness, protect the freedom and equal rights of the people and bring their initiative and creativity into full play.

"In the next five years or beyond, people are very much concerned about some issues that need our special attention," he said.

First, efforts must be made to increase the income of urban and rural residents, improve the social security system, further narrow urban-rural and regional disparities and address unfairness in income distribution.

Second, priority must be given to the anti-corruption combat because it is a matter of life or death to the Party and the country. To this end, institutional building should be strengthened to uproot graft and promote officials' integrity and clean government.

Third, it is the Party that shoulders the greatest responsibility for China's future. So "we should make special efforts to consolidate and imporove the Party's leadership, enhance democracy, optimize the legal system and practice the rule of law."

"China faces quite a lot of problems, especially the arduous task in reform and development. But I think the three aspects mentioned above are of great significance and pressing," Wen said.

Immediate tasks facing the incumbent government is to stabilize the Chinese economy and constitute reform plans on income distribution and compensation for expropriated rural collective lands, Wen said.

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