NPC Deputies and CPPCC Members Discuss China's Reform Process 　　The following are the main points of the interview by Our Staff Reporters Dong Jianqin and Wang Yantian with some NPC deputies and CPPCC members, requesting them to say something about their understanding, experience and proposals concerning reform, development, reinvigorating the country through science and education, democracy and the legal system, cultural and ethical progress, construction of Party spirit and clean and honest government, as well as diplomatic work in the past year. A series of commentaries have been written and will be published one by one from today. The interview focused on the following three points: (1). Strengthened confidence in reform which advances in an orderly way. In 1998 in the face of the serious Asian financial crisis and the rare devastating flood disaster, people may not have expected the difficulty in reform. According to Zheng Silin, NPC deputy and vice-minister of the State Economic and Trade Commission, last year while China was maintaining a good economic development situation, the reform of the economic system took a major step forward. Reforms in various fields pushed forward in an orderly way in line with the arrangements of the Party Central Committee and the State Council and made important progress in some difficult points. 　　Wang Huijiong, CPPCC member and research fellow of the Development Research Center of the State Council, praised the dissociation of army units, armed police force, political-legal organs and Party and government organizations from their business corporations and regarded it as a major move. Taking such a step needs courage and strengthened confidence, he said. This move helps maintain a healthy economic order and avoid the corruption behavior including the exchange of power for money.(2) Marked achievements in and far-reaching influence of reform. Li Wenzhi, CPPCC member and advisor to the Gansu Economic and Trade Commission, expressed the view that the "two guarantees" (guaranteeing the basic living standards and re-employment of workers laid off from state-owned enterprises and guaranteeing the timely issuance of full pensions to retirees) constitute an important content of reform of, and an important condition for, state-owned enterprises. Many NPC deputies and CPPCC members are of the opinion that the "two guarantees" have played a better role in social stability. At the same time, they have given powerful support to the in-depth reform of state-owned enterprises and to the strategic readjustment of the distribution of the state-owned economy, thus laying a solid foundation for achieving the goals of completing reform of state-owned enterprises and lifting them out of difficulties in three years, and for the rapid, steady and sound development of the national economy. 　　The far-reaching influence of reform also finds expression in the reform of the financial system. Financial reform has protected the Renminbi from devaluation, supported economic development and effectively avoided and dissolved risks. And (3) Make concerted efforts to create new achievements. Over the past year, fruitful results were made in both reform and development. This fact fully proves that the series of policies and measures including various reform measures of the Party Central Committee are correct and timely. 　　As they look into 1999, deputies and members firmly believe that although the road ahead will by no means be flat and smooth, many difficulties and contradictions will remain, under the staunch leadership of the Party Central Committee with Comrade Jiang Zemin at the core and with the unity of all nationalities of the country and their firm confidence in overcoming difficulties, we can definitely face up to greater challenges and create new achievements in the in-depth reform. HomeNews 1999-02-25 Page1 Full Story in Chinese