Premier Wen Jiabao has said China will step up efforts to facilitate the orderly flow of redundant rural labors into towns for new jobs in the coming five years.

Wen made the remarks in his explanation of the Proposal on the Eleventh Five-year Program at the Fifth Session of the 16th Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee a week ago, but his explanation wasn't released to the public until Wednesday.

According to Wen, China will speed up economic development in small towns to create more job opportunities for migrant workers, thus increasing their income.

This is only part of China's program for the coming five years to ease rural poverty and narrow the growing gap between rural and urban areas.

Wen also promised that China will push forward the reform of the rural tax system, to invest more in education and medical services in the countryside and experiment with new land acquisition methods.

(Xinhua News Agency October 9, 2005)