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Premier Wen targets causes of instability, stresses fair treatment of disadvantaged groups
by Xinhua writers Liu Jie, Kong Xiaohan and Tian Ye
BEIJING, Feb. 27 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao Sunday laid out three planks of government policy essential to maintaining stability: closing income gaps; equal benefits and opportunities for rural residents; and eradicating corruption.
Ensuring fair income distribution was an important task in the next five years as it had a direct bearing on social justice and stability, Wen said during a two-hour web chat with the public.
"We will ensure incomes keep pace with economic growth and salaries keep pace with increased productivity," he said.
He said the government would tackle the problem by increasing salaries of low-income groups and minimum living allowances; containing salaries in the industries with higher incomes; and protecting lawful incomes, cracking down on illegal incomes and regulate excessively high incomes.
His chat via the websites of the central government (ä¸å人æ°å ±åå½ä¸å¤®äººæ°æ¿åºé¨æ·ç½ç«) and Xinhua News Agency (???_???? ????) came six days before the opening of the annual session of the National People's Congress (NPC), the country's top legislature.
Answering a cab driver's question on taxes, Wen said the State Council, the Cabinet, would discuss on Wednesday a plan to raise the threshold of personal income tax, which would, if implemented, benefit middle and low-income groups.
The plan would be delivered to the NPC for review, he said.
The current threshold is 2,000 yuan (304 U.S. dollars) a month.
He also pledged to raise pensions for business retirees, whose incomes lag behind those of government department and institution pensions.
The government had increased pensions by up to 10 percent a year for business retirees over the past seven years, but their incomes were still relatively low, Wen said.
He said pension system reform would be steadily carried out in government departments and institutions.
"I always say we should not only make the cake of social wealth as big as possible, but also distribute the cake in a fair way and let everyone enjoy the fruits of reform and opening up," he said.
RESCUING STREET CHILDREN
Wen said the government would issue more policies to end discrimination against rural people in employment, education, medical services and other social benefits.
Efforts would be made to target practical problems facing farmers who worked in cities, he said.
"The government is mulling more measures to reform the household registration system, or hukou, in an active and steady manner," he said.
"Most importantly, farmers-turned-workers and their kids should never be discriminated against in jobs, compulsory education and training, just because they are farmers under the household system."
China has 240 million farmers working in cities. Although they account for most of the country's industrial labor force and urban construction workers, they enjoyed fewer welfare benefits that urban dwellers.
The hukou system, which guarantees access to jobs, education and social security, has long been regarded as a major hindrance to the movement of people across regions.
In response to questions concerning access of migrant workers' children to schools, Wen said the government would build more high-quality rural schools and take measures to make the nine-year compulsory education in cities more accessible to migrant workers' children.
Wen promised to send more teachers to rural schools and lift restrictions on household registration to allow migrant farmers to send their children to urban schools.
The premier also pledged to intensify efforts to protect and help street children.
"The causes for street children are complicated, but whatever the situation, we cannot leave our children to live without shelter," he said.
He had instructed the Ministry of Public Security and the Ministry of Civil Affairs to intensify rescue efforts.
The protection of street children gained public attention after Yu Jianrong, a professor of rural development, set up a microblog account on Jan. 25, calling for the rescue of abducted children forced into begging.
On Feb. 10, the Public Security Ministry urged the public to help police rescue minors, especially those being abused and forced to beg on the streets.
NO LENIENCY
China's corruption investigators will target leading officials in graft probes this year, Wen said.
The investigation and prosecution of principal officials for abuse of authority, dereliction of duty and involvement in corruption would be a "primary task" in 2011.
Wen said the Communist Party of China and the government would show no leniency to corrupt officials and the public would be invited to scrutinize the government to check corruption.
Wen's comments came just days after two Party officials were allegedly implicated in corruption scandals.
Liu Zhijun was removed from his post as minister and Party chief of the Ministry of Railways for alleged "severe violations of discipline" and Luo Yinguo, Party chief of south China's Maoming City, has been detained and is being investigated for corruption.
Wen acknowledged some government and leading officials were too powerful, and their power too concentrated and unchecked.
He vowed to press ahead with reforms to publish government development and spending plans and to invite public submissions on government work.
In the long run, a mechanism should be established to make public government officials' personal assets, said Wen.
by Xinhua writers Liu Jie, Kong Xiaohan and Tian Ye
BEIJING, Feb. 27 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao Sunday laid out three planks of government policy essential to maintaining stability: closing income gaps; equal benefits and opportunities for rural residents; and eradicating corruption.
Ensuring fair income distribution was an important task in the next five years as it had a direct bearing on social justice and stability, Wen said during a two-hour web chat with the public.
"We will ensure incomes keep pace with economic growth and salaries keep pace with increased productivity," he said.
He said the government would tackle the problem by increasing salaries of low-income groups and minimum living allowances; containing salaries in the industries with higher incomes; and protecting lawful incomes, cracking down on illegal incomes and regulate excessively high incomes.
His chat via the websites of the central government (ä¸å人æ°å ±åå½ä¸å¤®äººæ°æ¿åºé¨æ·ç½ç«) and Xinhua News Agency (???_???? ????) came six days before the opening of the annual session of the National People's Congress (NPC), the country's top legislature.
Answering a cab driver's question on taxes, Wen said the State Council, the Cabinet, would discuss on Wednesday a plan to raise the threshold of personal income tax, which would, if implemented, benefit middle and low-income groups.
The plan would be delivered to the NPC for review, he said.
The current threshold is 2,000 yuan (304 U.S. dollars) a month.
He also pledged to raise pensions for business retirees, whose incomes lag behind those of government department and institution pensions.
The government had increased pensions by up to 10 percent a year for business retirees over the past seven years, but their incomes were still relatively low, Wen said.
He said pension system reform would be steadily carried out in government departments and institutions.
"I always say we should not only make the cake of social wealth as big as possible, but also distribute the cake in a fair way and let everyone enjoy the fruits of reform and opening up," he said.
RESCUING STREET CHILDREN
Wen said the government would issue more policies to end discrimination against rural people in employment, education, medical services and other social benefits.
Efforts would be made to target practical problems facing farmers who worked in cities, he said.
"The government is mulling more measures to reform the household registration system, or hukou, in an active and steady manner," he said.
"Most importantly, farmers-turned-workers and their kids should never be discriminated against in jobs, compulsory education and training, just because they are farmers under the household system."
China has 240 million farmers working in cities. Although they account for most of the country's industrial labor force and urban construction workers, they enjoyed fewer welfare benefits that urban dwellers.
The hukou system, which guarantees access to jobs, education and social security, has long been regarded as a major hindrance to the movement of people across regions.
In response to questions concerning access of migrant workers' children to schools, Wen said the government would build more high-quality rural schools and take measures to make the nine-year compulsory education in cities more accessible to migrant workers' children.
Wen promised to send more teachers to rural schools and lift restrictions on household registration to allow migrant farmers to send their children to urban schools.
The premier also pledged to intensify efforts to protect and help street children.
"The causes for street children are complicated, but whatever the situation, we cannot leave our children to live without shelter," he said.
He had instructed the Ministry of Public Security and the Ministry of Civil Affairs to intensify rescue efforts.
The protection of street children gained public attention after Yu Jianrong, a professor of rural development, set up a microblog account on Jan. 25, calling for the rescue of abducted children forced into begging.
On Feb. 10, the Public Security Ministry urged the public to help police rescue minors, especially those being abused and forced to beg on the streets.
NO LENIENCY
China's corruption investigators will target leading officials in graft probes this year, Wen said.
The investigation and prosecution of principal officials for abuse of authority, dereliction of duty and involvement in corruption would be a "primary task" in 2011.
Wen said the Communist Party of China and the government would show no leniency to corrupt officials and the public would be invited to scrutinize the government to check corruption.
Wen's comments came just days after two Party officials were allegedly implicated in corruption scandals.
Liu Zhijun was removed from his post as minister and Party chief of the Ministry of Railways for alleged "severe violations of discipline" and Luo Yinguo, Party chief of south China's Maoming City, has been detained and is being investigated for corruption.
Wen acknowledged some government and leading officials were too powerful, and their power too concentrated and unchecked.
He vowed to press ahead with reforms to publish government development and spending plans and to invite public submissions on government work.
In the long run, a mechanism should be established to make public government officials' personal assets, said Wen.
