China will pursue a new model of economic growth in the coming years as defined by the country's 11th Five-year Guidelines, a senior government official said Sunday.

Ma Kai, the minister in charge of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) told the China Development Forum that over the next five years the country must truly 'get on the road' of scientific and harmonious development. To allow this to be achieved this six fundamental changes were required to be made. 

China had to strive to stimulate its domestic consumption instead of relying on investment and exports. The country also had to seek harmonious development among its primary, secondary and tertiary industries and upgrade its economic structure. It should not rely solely on the expansion of manufacturing.

To make its development more sustainable it must protect the environment and conserve non renewable resources by reducing its dependence on them and improving the efficiency of its resource consumption, he said.

Instead of relying on the input of capital and physical resources China had do seek development through scientific and technological progress and the cultivation of human resources. This, he said, could only be achieved by putting the emphasis on innovation.

Another important change, Ma said, was that instead of relying on government intervention, China had to allow market forces to play a bigger role in the allocation of resources.

And finally China had to improve the living standards of people and regard that as the priority. The country must shift its attention away from the growth of wealth to the comprehensive development of the population and balancing social and economic needs. Ma said.

(Xinhua News Agency March 20, 2006)