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NPC session shows stable China
By Mou Xu, Huang Xin, Ye Qian and Zhu Wei |
March 15, 2012, Thursday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
ANYONE trying to keep track of China's development could have learned a lot in the past nine days by watching the annual meeting of the National People's Congress, the country's top legislature, which concluded yesterday.
As the last session for the current government and the most important political event ahead of the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC), when a leadership change is expected, the meeting is an important juncture along China's development path.
Lower growth rate
It was at this meeting that China lowered its annual economic growth target below 8 percent for the first time in eight years, setting the target at 7.5 percent for 2012. Against the backdrop of fragile economic recovery in the United States and the sluggish European economy, the lower target has raised concerns, but China is not apologetic.
The target remains the highest in the world and is one accompanied by goals in areas such as industrial upgrading, economic restructuring, and environmental protection. "This session shows that China's economy will not only continue to grow but will also improve in quality of growth," said Ma Xiuhong, a political adviser and former vice commerce minister.
The adjustment is beneficial to the world as well as to China, because in the long run, such an adjustment will reduce pressures on the world's resources and environment, expand China's consumption and raise its imports, which will create more jobs for other countries and realize and maintain the balance of international payments for China.
China also used the legislative meeting to tell the world about the country's stability. Quite a few places throughout the world are currently navigating turbulent waters, but China has forged ahead at a stable pace. It's true that China has entered a conflict-prone phase and has seen some mass incidents, but this has not disrupted overall stability.
It's equally true, however, that a lot of problems are awaiting solutions at home and discontent exists among the people. Meanwhile, the outside world worries that China cannot sustain its growth and it may stagnate.
Further reform
February 21 marked the 20th anniversary of late Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping's landmark speeches delivered while touring southern China, which pushed forward the reform and opening-up drive and led to the official declaration of a socialist market economy in China later that year. Many took the occasion to issue calls for deepening reform, one of the most talked-about and far-reaching issues during the legislative meeting.
In fact, this is another message from the legislative meeting: a consensus on deepening reforms has been reached and the reform, which began 30 years ago, has entered deep and rough territory, where not advancing means falling back.
The authors are Xinhua writers.
As the last session for the current government and the most important political event ahead of the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC), when a leadership change is expected, the meeting is an important juncture along China's development path.
Lower growth rate
It was at this meeting that China lowered its annual economic growth target below 8 percent for the first time in eight years, setting the target at 7.5 percent for 2012. Against the backdrop of fragile economic recovery in the United States and the sluggish European economy, the lower target has raised concerns, but China is not apologetic.
The target remains the highest in the world and is one accompanied by goals in areas such as industrial upgrading, economic restructuring, and environmental protection. "This session shows that China's economy will not only continue to grow but will also improve in quality of growth," said Ma Xiuhong, a political adviser and former vice commerce minister.
The adjustment is beneficial to the world as well as to China, because in the long run, such an adjustment will reduce pressures on the world's resources and environment, expand China's consumption and raise its imports, which will create more jobs for other countries and realize and maintain the balance of international payments for China.
China also used the legislative meeting to tell the world about the country's stability. Quite a few places throughout the world are currently navigating turbulent waters, but China has forged ahead at a stable pace. It's true that China has entered a conflict-prone phase and has seen some mass incidents, but this has not disrupted overall stability.
It's equally true, however, that a lot of problems are awaiting solutions at home and discontent exists among the people. Meanwhile, the outside world worries that China cannot sustain its growth and it may stagnate.
Further reform
February 21 marked the 20th anniversary of late Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping's landmark speeches delivered while touring southern China, which pushed forward the reform and opening-up drive and led to the official declaration of a socialist market economy in China later that year. Many took the occasion to issue calls for deepening reform, one of the most talked-about and far-reaching issues during the legislative meeting.
In fact, this is another message from the legislative meeting: a consensus on deepening reforms has been reached and the reform, which began 30 years ago, has entered deep and rough territory, where not advancing means falling back.
The authors are Xinhua writers.
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