The three-day Central Economic Working Conference convened by
the Central Committee of the CPC and the State Council closed
on Nov.30.
President Jiang
Zemin and Premier Zhu Rongji made important speeches at the
conference. Present were also Li Peng, Li Ruihuan, Hu Jintao,
Wei Jianxing and Li Lanqing.
In his speech,
Jiang analyzed the current economic situation and put forward
guiding principles and major tasks for next year's economic
work.
The tasks for economic
work in 2001 are:
-- To strengthen the primary status of agriculture in the
national economy and make efforts to increase farmers' incomes;
-- To make greater efforts to readjust and optimize industrial
structures;
-- To further reform state-owned enterprises;
-- To further improve the social security system and expand
employment opportunities;
-- To continue the proactive fiscal policy;
-- To continue the stable monetary policy and tighten supervision
over banking institutions;
-- To promote the strategy of developing the western areas
of China in a bid to seek balanced regional development;
-- To further China's opening-up to the outside world;
-- To boost scientific and technological progress and strengthen
personnel training; and
-- To take substantial measures to improve management, and
regulate and standardize market order.
The conference
set the goal of striving for a "sustained, rapid and
sound" development of the national economy and overall
social progress in 2001 to create a positive start for the
accomplishment of the 10th Five-Year Plan (2001-2005).
According to the
conference, a pro-active fiscal policy and sound monetary
policies will be implemented to stimulate domestic demand,
and macro-economic measures will be carried out to consolidate
the current development situation.
China will further
promote the restructuring of the national economy and the
application of information technology in the industrial sector,
the conference stressed.
More support will
be given to the agricultural sector to consolidate its status
as a basic industry and farmers' income will be increased.
China will step
up enterprise reforms to transform management mechanisms and
enhance the competitiveness of State-owned enterprises.
Moreover, China
will make thorough preparation for its entry into the World
Trade Organization by opening up further to the outside world.
Social security
systems will be established to create job opportunities and
improve people's lives.
In all, China will
properly handle the relations between reform and stability
to achieve overall development in 2001.
The conference also outlined six targets for the economic
work in 2001.
In reviewing this
year's economic work, the conference said that China's national
economy has maintained rapid growth in 2000 as a result of
effective measures adopted by the central authorities.
As a result of
these measures, investment, consumption and exports nationwide
picked up. Thus, the goal of improving the profitability of
State-owned large- and medium-sized enterprises was basically
reached, with a surge in enterprise profits and state revenue.
The changes indicate
that China has overcome the difficulties arising from the
Asian financial crisis and reversed the lukewarm economic
growth over the past two years, the conference said, adding
that the national economic development has had a turn for
the better.
(Xinhua 11/30/2000)
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