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March 4, 2010

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Foreign views on a better China


LAST year was the most difficult for China's economic development since the new century dawned 10 years ago.

South Korea's Yonhap News Agency said in a report last Sunday that the Chinese government, after the worldwide financial crisis, has realized that an export-oriented economy with cheap prices cannot tide the nation over crises of various kinds in the years ahead.

The news agency said China should develop the service sector and agriculture to cultivate a domestic market-oriented economy.

Referring to the change of China's economy, Michael Pettis, a senior associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and an expert on China's economy, said China's economy is experiencing an important stage of transformation.

The changes in China's economy will present painful difficulties and financial deflation, resulting in excessive investments and surplus production capacity. The change also will slow down the pace of economic development.

With China's economy gaining momentum and people's income increasing, the public will become more concerned with economic issues such as employment, medical care, housing and pension, Yonhap noted.

Pierre Picquart, an expert on China from the University of Paris, said China should create more wealth to improve the people's living standards.

On the other hand, efforts should be made to achieve a balance between regional development and to urge those who have become rich first to contribute in return to society, Picquart said.

He said it is also very important to ensure adequate investment in public institutions such as schools and hospitals, and improve social security and welfare policy on medical care, retirement and vacation.

Public voices

According to the China Internet Network Information Center, an increasing number of Chinese choose cyberspace to express their opinions. More than 400 million Chinese, have access to the Internet.

More and more people are accessing the Internet and online communications have attracted great interest from Chinese leaders, said an article on the BBC Chinese-language Website.

During communications with their leaders, Netizens expressed strong concerns about social welfare issues such as housing, medical care and employment, and about US-China relations, the article said.

Zheng Yongnian, director of the East Asia Institute of National University of Singapore, said the Internet was a very good way for the Chinese leaders to reach out to the people.

(The authors are writers at Xinhua news agency.)




 

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