Deputies attending the NPC meeting welcomed the work report delivered yesterday by Premier Wen Jiabao, saying the government had performed well last year and set a prudent course for the future.

A World Bank official also lauded the report.

Zhang Jiehui, NPC deputy from Anshan, Liaoning Province, said he supported the central government's call for more energy-conservation and measures to control pollution.

"The work report sets the tune for green development, which is especially meaningful for cities that have heavily polluting steel making factories," said Zhang.

NPC deputy Wu Jijun, a village leader from East China's Jiangsu Province, said calls to increase agriculture input were encouraging.

"As a deputy from the grassroots, I feel Premier Wen is speaking directly to me, since his report addressed my most urgent question. I feel so confident in building a new countryside as the country has been increasing its budget for agriculture and rural issues in recent years," said Wu.

Peng Fuchun, NPC deputy from Central China's Hubei Province, said he was glad that the authorities would set aside scholarships and other forms of assistance to help students from poor families.

"The country's education system is fraught with unfairness, but the new measures should improve the situation a lot. I am glad to see that a larger than ever part of the government's work report addresses education issues," said Peng, a university professor from Hubei.

And Tan Zhijuan, a deputy from Northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, said she was cheered by the government's promise to create more job opportunities this year.

"Re-employing laid off workers has been a key issue, affecting the well being of the whole society. I'm sure the country's effort to enlarge the job market will pay off this year," said Tan.

And the international communities also weighed in on the report.

David Dollar, the World Bank's country director for China, said the premier's work report was an impressive and thorough document. He said the first year of the 11th Five-Year Plan had gone well, and that the 8 percent growth target for this year is prudent.

"Overall, the work report sets out a realistic macroeconomic program and a set of structural measures that will help China rebalance its growth away from investment and exports and put more emphasis on important social and environmental objectives," Dollar told China Daily in an exclusive interview yesterday.

(China Daily 03/07/2007 page6)