Chinese leadership stresses tangible benefits for citizens

BEIJING, March 9 (Xinhua) -- During the ongoing annual sessions of the national legislature and political advisory body, Chinese leaders have pledged tangible benefits for citizens.

In a recent discussion with national lawmakers from northeast China's Liaoning Province, Xi Jinping, head of the Communist Party of China (CPC), urged greater efforts to guarantee and improve people's well-being, take better care of disadvantaged groups and offer the people noticeable and tangible benefits.

Vice Premier Li Keqiang, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, urged greater efforts in alleviating poverty and progressively improving people's lives amid the course of development.

Analysts say China's new leadership is attaching more importance to improving people's quality of life.

In his first speech in front of reporters since being elected general secretary of the CPC Central Committee in November, Xi spoke at length about the important role of the people and their desires for better education, more stable jobs, higher incomes, better medical and health care, improved housing conditions and a better environment.

"Meeting their desires for a happy life is our mission," Xi said.

Both China's GDP and its per capita income in 2020 should double that of 2010, according to the targets set by the 18th National Congress of the CPC in November. This was the first time that per capita income has been included in the country's 2020 blueprint for building a moderately prosperous society.

Realizing these goals in the next eight years is not going to be easy, given the country's economic growth slowdown and other challenges, including economic structural adjustment, the income gap and unbalanced development between the eastern, central and western regions.

China's economic growth further eased to a 13-year low of 7.8 percent in 2012 from 9.3 percent in 2011 and 10.3 percent in 2010. The country's GDP stood at 51.9 trillion yuan (about 8.3 trillion U.S. dollars) last year.

The country's GDP growth target for 2013 is around 7.5 percent, according to the central government.

Improving people's living standards was underlined in the government report delivered by Premier Wen Jiabao to the 12th National People's Congress, or the parliament, on March 5.