National advisors yesterday agreed to put reforming and standardizing China's income distribution system at the top of their priorities.

Reforming the system is very important to China as the country's economic reforms are at critical juncture, participants at a symposium, which included non-Communist parties and the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce, agreed.

President Hu Jintao, also general secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), presided over the Beijing symposium where different bodies gave their opinions on the upcoming reform of the income distribution system.

A release from the symposium said the CPC would "seriously consider and absorb" their comments and advice, which Hu said was "full of insight."

Calling the reforms "an important issue in China's political and economic life," Hu said in a speech that the CPC Central Committee would strive to defend social equality and close the wealth gap by raising the incomes of the low-paid, expanding the size of middle classes, wiping out illegitimate incomes and putting a curb on excessively high salaries.

A source close to the meeting said reforming the payment system for civil servants is high on the agenda.

The Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee also recently discussed the income distribution system.

It agreed that more attention should be paid to social equity so that everyone can enjoy the fruits of reform and socialist modernization.

There is currently a substantial income gap between the rich and poor.

According to government statistics the richest people, accounting for 10 per cent of urban dwellers, own 45 per cent of the total urban wealth. While the poorest 10 per cent of urban dwellers only have 1.4 per cent.

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