The ongoing fifth sessions of China's tenth National People's
Congress (NPC) and the National Committee of the Chinese People's
Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) have been the focal
points of the foreign press, which on Tuesday extensively
concentrated on Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao's government work
report.
Newspaper The Australian reported China's pursuit of
green development on its front page, while the Sydney Morning
Herald focused on China's plans to gear down its economic
development to eight percent in 2007 and build a new socialist
countryside.
The Australian Financial Review said Wen's report
indicated that China will make a greater resolution to avoid
economic overheating and maintain stable development.
Japan's Kyodo News reported late Monday that China will
increase expenditure on medical care and public health by 86.8
percent this year.
Japanese newspaper Asahi Shimbun reported that China's
2007 budget plan will increase expenditure on rural development,
healthcare and social security. It also noted in a separate article
that the Chinese government aims to curb corruption, illegal land
seizures and address employment concerns.
The Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper said that Premier Wen's
government report showed that China strives for sustainable
development, quoting Wen as saying that China will not have a high
growth rate as its only goal.
Many Italian media, including Ansa news agency and the
newspapers La Repubblica and Il Corriere Della
Sera emphasized some details of Premier Wen's report, such as
the draft property rights law and the corporate income tax law.
They said that the two laws, which focus on protecting private
property and equaling income taxes between domestic and foreign
companies, will surely draw attention from foreign investors.
Romania's official Rompres news agency also picked up on Wen's
report, saying that attention should be drawn to the priorities of
government work this year, such as narrowing the gap between urban
and rural areas, promoting social justice and protecting the
environment.
The Associated Press reported that the government has declared
that it will raise expenditure by a larger margin to increase the
income of the urban poor and people in underdeveloped and rural
areas and improve social services, while steering China's vigorous
economy towards more stable development.
Reuters news agency cited Wen as saying that China will make
greater efforts to save energy and decrease pollution in 2007 to
ensure the normal operation of its economy after double-digit
growth in four straight years.
The NPC is China's national legislature and the CPPCC is the top
advisory body. The NPC and the CPPCC opened their annual
fortnight-long sessions on Monday and Saturday, respectively.
(Xinhua News Agency March 7, 2007)