The British newspaper, Guardian, said that Premier Wen Jiabao's 7 percent economic expansion target in 2004 shows that the government is trying to slow the country's breakneck speed. This will spread the fruits of prosperity beyond the coastal urban hotspots.
The New York Times said plans to increase urban and rural welfare payments, overhaul grain production, reduce rural taxes, improve education and cut down on serious accidents took up most of Premier Wen's address. It said the report has fulfilled expectations that Wen would outline a new approach to what he has called "balanced development."
The European Times, a Chinese newspaper based in Paris, said Premier Wen's work report has given a solid, honest and practical response to the critical problems that a rapidly developing China is facing.
(CCTV.com March 8, 2004)
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