Beijing: China's ruling Communist Party today promised to undertake comprehensive economic and political reforms and fight corruption.
In his 'State of the Nation' address at the opening of
China's annual session of Parliament, Premier Wen Jiabao said
the government will give high priority to fighting corruption
and encouraging integrity.
"We will develop socialist democracy and effectively
safeguard the democratic rights of the people as the masters
of the country, particularly their rights to vote and to stay
informed about, participate in and express views and oversee
government affairs," he said.
Wen, also the member of the Standing Committee of the
Politburo of the CPC, said the government would undertaking
comprehensive political and economic reforms.
"Without political restructuring it would not be
possible for economic restructuring and the modernisation
drive to succeed," he said.
"We will develop socialist democracy and effectively
safeguard the democratic rights of the people as the masters
of the county, particularly their rights to vote and to stay
informed about, participate in and express views and oversee
government affairs," he said.
"We will promote transparency of administrative
affairs, improve regulations for transparent governance,
create conditions for the people to criticise and oversee the
government, let the news media to play their oversight role
and exercise power openly," he said.
The CPC has monopolised political power in China since
the country was founded in 1949.
China to continue with one-child policy
China, the most populous country in
the world, today said it would continue with its over
three-decade-old one-child policy to maintain low birth rate
and pledged to intensity its "strategic research" on coping
with an ageing population.
"We will do a good job in population and family planning
work. We will continue to maintain a low birth rate. We will
provide good planning services for the floating population,"
Prime Minister We Jiabao told the National People's Congress
or Parliament, ruling out any possibility to change the one-
child policy.
Citing the erstwhile slogan 'lower birth rate equals
faster prosperity', Wen said "we will provide regular
gynaecological examination and subsidise child birth in the
hospitals for rural women."
"We will continue to reward and support eligible rural
families that comply with family planning regulations," he
said.
Expectation of change in the one-child policy was high in
recent years as studies showed that China in the coming years
would end up with more old age people, around 400 million by
2035, and become uncompetitive specially to countries like
India in terms of labour force as India was likely to continue
to have a vibrant young work force till the middle of this
century.
PTI
First Published: Friday, March 05, 2010, 18:14