Chinese president Jiang Zemin said Tuesday that the next five to 10 years are crucial to China's economic and social development, economic structuring and opening up to the world.
Joining in a group discussion of the Shanghai delegation at the ongoing Fourth Session of the Ninth National People's Congress (NPC), the President pointed out China must make development as the theme, economic restructuring as the main line of work, reform and opening up and technical progress as the motive power and improvement of people's life as the fundamental starting point.
The president expressed the hope that, with its good foundation, Shanghai should realize leaps in its development so that it will achieve modernization ahead of all other regions.
To attain the goal, the President said the city should give priority to the development of the high-tech and service sectors.
He also urged the city to support the central government's western China development strategy.
(People’s Daily 03/07/2001)