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Wen stresses development of social undertakings

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2010-02-05 10:10

BEIJING: Chinese premier Wen Jiabao on Thursday urged to boost development of social undertakings and improvement of people's livelihoods while pushing forward the transformation of economic growth mode.

Speaking to a seminar for provincial and ministerial level officials presided over by vice premier Li Keqiang and attended by vice president Xi Jinping, Wen said development of science, education and culture was key to the transformation of China's economic growth mode and its sustainable development.

He urged that plans should be made to forge a number of emerging strategic industries as the mainstay of China's economy as soon as possible, and those traditional industries should be upgraded with the latest technologies to enhance their efficiency and competitiveness.

He also called for stepped-up efforts in technological self-innovation, the creation and protection of intellectual properties.

Reforms in China's education system must also be carried forward so as to promote quality education and to give the schools more say in their operation, the Premier said.

Authorities must ensure free access to the nine-year compulsory education for all children, and to bridge the gap of imbalanced educational resources between urban and rural areas and between different regions and schools, Wen said.

Vocational education should also be improved, he added.

Noting that culture was an important factor in boosting the country's development and the revitalization of the nation, Wen said policies to support the development of cultural industries and innovations should be perfected.

In addition, he stressed that boosting employment should be given top priority in China's social and economic development.

Authorities should increase employment by maintaining stable and relatively fast economic growth, fueling the development of the service industry, labor and knowledge-intensive industries, and supporting the development of small and medium-sized enterprises and the non-public sectors, he said.

They should also provide more training for people having difficulties in finding jobs, Wen said.

The premier also said the country's income distribution system should be perfected so that all 1.3 billion Chinese could enjoy the fruit of the country's reform and opening-up drive.

Authorities should make special efforts to raise the payment for people with modest or low incomes in both urban and rural areas in the country, especially farmers and migrant workers, he said, adding that tax tools should be better employed to adjust the income distribution.

He also urged that the country's social security system should be perfected.

A nationwide social security network should be set up, and medical reforms should be deepened in the country to provide the public with easy and equal access to medical services.

The public should be fully motivated to contribute to the development of social undertakings, in order to improve the quality and efficiency of public services, Wen said.