China attaches importance to job creation
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2004-05-27 17:42

The Chinese government will give priority to employment and take it as the basis of people's livelihood, according to the Policy Statement issued by the Chinese Government on Poverty Alleviation and Elimination Thursday.

The statement was announced at the Global Conference of Scaling Up Poverty Reduction, which opened in Shanghai on Tuesday.

The statement said the Chinese government will continue highlighting development and reform, which provide an important material base and a system guarantee for the nation's poverty reduction and elimination undertakings.

It will put development at the top of the agenda and take it as the most important issue for the nation's rejuvenation. China will strive to quadruple the nation's gross domestic product (GDP), reaching a per capita GDP of over 3,000 US dollars in 2020.

According to the statement, the Chinese government will readjust income distribution among governments, enterprises and individuals through reforms, increase the percentage of middle- income people and the income of low-income people.

The government will also adopt a strict system for the protection of arable land and farmers' rights on contracting and operating land.

It will stick to the policy of allowing people to make independent decisions on finding jobs, letting market forces play a due role in job creation and promoting employment with government support, the statement said.

In order to secure maximum job creation through economic growth, China will vigorously develop the tertiary industry, especially community service industry.

While accelerating the restructuring of state-owned large- and medium-sized enterprises, the government will encourage the expansion of private, foreign-funded and joint stock cooperative enterprises, as well as the labor-intensive industry. It will also strengthen professional training of laborers.

The statement said China will continue to place vital importance on the issue of agriculture, rural areas and farmers by alleviating farmers' burden, increasing assistance to them and creating a better policy environment.

In order to address the widening income gap between urban and rural residents, the country will try to lift farmers' incomes rapidly through restructuring the farming industry, increasing input in agriculture and stepping up support and protection of agricultural production and accelerating the development of rural areas.

China has made impressive progress on poverty reduction over the past two decades. The number of its people living in extreme poverty according to national standards has dropped from 250 million in 1978 to some 29 million.

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