Chinese ministers have responded to a number of key issues during interviews at the sessions of the country’s top legislature and political advisory body.

Journalists conduct interview at the Ministers' Corridor of the Two Sessions (Photo/Chinanews.com)

1. Medicine, health care, and elderly-care

Ma Xiaowei, director of the National Health Commission

To build medical service centers in 500 counties, making sure that 90 percent of diseases caught by rural residents can be treated directly in the counties.

Hu Jinglin, head of the National Healthcare Security Administration

To include more life-saving medicines into the country’s medical insurance system, and lead the fight against insurance fraud as a top priority.

Zhang Mao, chief of the State Administration for Market Regulation

To strictly manage the market and punish manufacturers and sellers of fake products, until fake products are phased out from the market entirely. It will be a long-term task to regulate the market of medical care products.

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Han Changfu

This year, toilets will be upgraded in 30,000 villages, or 10 million households.

Minister of Culture and Tourism, Luo Shugang

To take only two more years to solve the restroom shortage and improve sanitation.

Minister of Human Resources and Social Security, Zhang Jinan

To make sure that pensions are paid in full and on time. The country has decided to continue to increase the basic retirement pension in 2019.

2. Housing, transportation and communications

Minister of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, Wang Menghui

To take great efforts to cultivate and develop the rental market, with a focus on providing homes for new residents. This year, the ministry will carry out a garbage-sorting campaign in cities above prefecture level.

Minister of Industry and Information Technology, Miao Wei

Chinese mobile users will get to enjoy complete number portability by the end of 2019, and the average unit price of mobile Internet will be reduced by more than 20 percent.

Head of the Civil Aviation Administration of China, Feng Zhenglin

To maintain the on-time rate of flights to above 80 percent, and make sure that food provided at airports is of the same quality and price as is offered elsewhere in the same city.

Minister of Transport, Li Xiaopeng

To remove cross-provincial tollgates on expressways in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, the Yangtze River Delta, and major provinces in northeast and southwest China this year.

Minister of Natural Resources Lu Hao

To implement the reduction of time required for immovable property registration. The ministry is confident that they will complete this task together with relevant departments.

3. Culture, technology and education

Minister of Education, Chen Baosheng

To release a guideline for reduction of the amount of schoolwork.

Minister of Science and Technology, Wang Zhigang

To work with relevant departments to combine the contract system of scientific research funds and the reforms to streamline administration and delegate powers, improve regulation, and optimize services.

Liu Yuzhu, head of the National Cultural Heritage Administration

Boundless energy is needed and apathy is unacceptable in museum protection, and opinions on the implementation and development of museum reforms will be enacted within the year.

Gou Zhongwen, director of China's General Administration of Sport

To implement The Overall Plan of Chinese Soccer Reform and Development with unswerving effort, enhance youth training and assist leadership change of the Chinese Football Association.

Head of the State Intellectual Property Office, Shen Changyu

To further reduce the trademark review period to five months, actively cooperate with the NPC in revising the Patent Law and establish a punishment system for infringement.

4. Economy, finance and investment

Minister of Finance, Liu Kun

To fully implement the plan to cut 2 trillion yuan worth of taxes and fees for enterprises.

Wang Jun, head of the State Administration of Taxation

To welcome and actively cooperate with relevant departments in the implementation of tax and fee reductions and supervise in a concrete and forceful manner, so that the favorable policies yield good results.

Minister of Commerce, Zhong Shan

To renovate and upgrade a group of pedestrian zones, optimize distribution patterns of convenience stores and implement a unique action plan to promote efficient delivery services in urban and rural areas.

Guo Shuqing, chairman of the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission (CBIRC), Party secretary of the People's Bank of China

It’s an attainable goal that large-scale commercial banks will grant 30 percent more loans to small and micro businesses.

He Lifeng, head of the National Development and Reform Commission

To lower market access for private investors, and help them solve problems such as the difficulty to finance.

Xiao Yaqing, head of the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council

To work to ensure that all targets set for SOE are realizable this year, unveil a supervision and management list and devote energy to promoting mixed-ownership reform and diversification of equity.

Governor of the People's Bank of China (PBOC), Yi Gang

The bank governor believes that the market-driven RMB exchange rates will make the Chinese yuan a desirable currency that can be used freely.

5. Ecology, environmental protection, poverty alleviation

Liu Yongfu, director of the State Council Leading Group Office of Poverty Alleviation and Development

To work hard to lift 10 million people and 300 counties out of poverty.

Ecology and Environment Minister, Li Ganjie

Efforts should be made to bring down PM2.5 concentration, reduce the number of heavily polluted days, improve air quality, and create more blue skies for the people to enjoy.

Minister of Water Resources, E Jingping

To regulate 12,000 sites of rural water sources and visit at least 3,000 villages, in a bid to provide clean water for 60 million rural residents who have difficulties in accessing drinking water.

Ni Yuefeng, head of the General Administration of Customs

Initiate the Blue Sky 2019 campaign this year to resolutely crack down on foreign garbage smuggling.

Zhang Jianlong, director of the National Forestry and Grassland Administration

To further improve the system and mechanism of pilot national parks, and make sure the lives of people living within the parks are undisturbed and improved.

6. Judiciary and foreign affairs 

State Councilor and Foreign Minister, Wang Yi

To encourage Chinese enterprises and citizens to guarantee interests with legal weapons; to upgrade the 12308 smartphone app, and to make mobile payment available in overseas Chinese embassies and consulates.

Minister of Justice, Fu Zhenghua

To use the most stringent regulatory measures and the most strict punishment to promote the continuous improvement of food and drug safety.

Minister of Veterans Affairs, Sun Shaocheng

The law on the welfare of military veterans will be submitted to the top legislature for deliberation in the second half of 2019.

Tong Jianming, deputy procurator-general of the Supreme People's Procuratorate

To promote the establishment of mechanisms such as grading punishments of juvenile criminal cases and critical prevention through a particular department set up last year to deal with cases involving minors.

Jiang Bixin, vice-president of the Supreme People’s Court of China

To correct wrongful convictions, and protect the rights of entrepreneurs and private enterprises by law.