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China's top
planner keeps alert on conflicts, problems (03/06/2003)
" We are also aware that there are still many conflicts and problems
in our economic and social activities and that some of these are very
serious," said China's top economic planner.
Zeng Peiyan, minister in charge of the State Development Planning
Commission, told the first session of the 10th National People's Congress
Thursday.
The problem of weak effective demand is coupled with an irrational
supply structure. Because the main factors affecting rural incomes
have yet to be eliminated, rural income growth has been slow, the
minister stressed.
Some urban residents have very low incomes and are confronted with
many difficulties in their lives. All this hinders the expansion of
the consumer market. The investment potential of the collective and
private sectors and of individually run businesses has yet to be fully
tapped, he said.
Employment and reemployment prospects remain grim. A large number
of urban residents need to find a job or get reemployed, and there
is a huge surplus of rural labor that needs to be diverted to work
in urban areas. This makes it very difficult to create enough new
job opportunities to keep up with the demand for employment, according
to the minister.
The reform of state-owned enterprises is a monumental task, with deep-seated
problems still not totally solved. "We still have a lot to do
to make development through fair competition possible for businesses
under different forms of ownership," he said.
The order of the market economy remains fairly chaotic. "We still
have a long way to go to establish a social credibility system,"
he said, adding that major industrial accidents occur frequently.
The State Council is paying close attention to these problems and
working hard to adopt measures to solve them, he stressed.
(Xinhua) |
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