Chinese leaders urge efforts on poverty eradication, economic restructuring

BEIJING, March 8 -- Chinese President Xi Jinping and other leaders Sunday urged more efforts to be made on poverty eradication, faster development in areas with concentrations of ethnic minorities, implementing the "Four Comprehensives" and economic restructuring.

While speaking with lawmakers from south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in a panel discussion during the annual session of the National People's Congress (NPC), Xi said targeted measures should be taken to help people lift themselves out of poverty and poverty alleviation work should be done in a timely and down-to-earth manner.

Stress should be laid on economic restructuring, building an open economy full of vitality, as well as expanding and deepening cooperation with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Guangxi, Xi said.

Efforts should be made on advancing the rule of law to create a fair and orderly legal environment for the economy and development, and the legitimate rights of people in the areas with concentrations of ethnic minorities should be protected in the framework of the rule of law, he added.

The Chinese government aims for reducing the poor population by more than 10 million this year, according to the government work report delivered Thursday by Premier Li Keqiang to the NPC annual session.

About 52 million Chinese poor, who are struggling below the poverty line of 2,300 yuan (370 U.S. dollars) per year, were lifted out of poverty in the past four years, official figures showed.

While speaking with lawmakers from southwest China's Sichuan Province during a panel discussion, Li also called for bigger efforts on the battle against poverty and improving people's living standards.

Sichuan should play a leading role in increasing effective market demand, growing the economy, improving the economic growth quality and profitability, and promoting industrial upgrading in global competition, Li said.

When speaking with lawmakers from northeast China's Liaoning Province, China's top legislator Zhang Dejiang said that the Chinese economy is confronted with both opportunities and challenges after the economy entered the "new normal."

Opportunities are bigger than challenges, and great efforts should be made on economic restructuring with the focus on improving economic growth quality and profitability, said Zhang, chairman of the Standing Committee of the NPC.

Meanwhile, other Chinese leaders highlighted the implementation of the "Four Comprehensives" strategic layout in order to realize economic and social development targets.

The "Four Comprehensives" refers to a political concept which comprises comprehensively building a moderately prosperous society, deepening reform, advancing the rule of law, and strictly governing the Communist Party of China (CPC).

During a panel discussion with lawmakers from northwestern China's Qinghai Province, top political advisor Yu Zhengsheng called on authorities to uphold the rule of law during their work, including resource development, environmental protection and social governance.

Authorities must also turn to the CPC for leadership "throughout every process and aspect of their work", Yu stressed.

Liu Yunshan, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, joined discussion with deputies from the southwestern Guizhou Province as he called for governing the Party strictly.

The key to governing the Party strictly is to govern the Party officials strictly. Efforts must be made to curb misconduct in personnel selection and promotion and to implement the Party rules strictly, said Liu.

While speaking with lawmakers from south China's Hainan Province in a panel discussion, Wang Qishan, head of the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, said disciplinary inspections are an important means of intra-Party supervision, calling on local authorities to make greater efforts to find loopholes and address them in a timely and serious manner.

Joining a panel discussion of the delegation from northwestern China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli urged authorities to focus on social stability and lasting peace in the region to build a stable and prosperous Xinjiang.

Authorities should uphold the "Four Comprehensives" strategic layout initiated by President Xi Jinping, and priority should be given to lasting stability in the region and the building of a core area in the Silk Road Economic Belt in Xinjiang, said Zhang.

Development should be sought after on the basis of stability, and stability should serve to contribute to development, Zhang added.