"People will find that they have a broader scope of activity when making investments and starting businesses," delegate Lang Guoqing said. "They can get rich with an easy state of mind as long as they abide by laws."

Jiang Zemin said in his report, "It is necessary to foster notions and form a business mechanism in conformity with the basic economic system in the primary stage of socialism and create a social environment in which people are encouraged to achieve something and helped to make a success of their career."

In this regard, the government is expected to take a series of measures, such as breaking monopoly, providing a freer environment for investors, reforming administrative examination and approval procedures, rectifying market economic order, and lowering the access threshold for investors.

"Ordinary people will have more say in the decision-making process," said Zhang Guangqiang, a congress delegate from Shaanxi Province.

He noted that a major content of building a well-off society is to improve socialist democracy and the legal system to better safeguard and respect people's political, economic and cultural rights.

According to Jiang's report, decision-making organs should establish a system of public hearings on major issues that are closely related to people's interests.

(Xinhua News Agency November 12, 2002)