China pledges continued reform to improve livelihood, employment

BEIJING - China's State Council on Wednesday mapped out key tasks for economic system reform this year, stressing continued reform efforts to aid people's livelihood and prepare for the tough fight in ensuring employment.

The country should continue to boost reform in key sectors with supply-side structural reform as the main theme, according to a statement released after a State Council executive meeting, which was chaired by Premier Li Keqiang.

The employment situation for China this year is "grim," and the government should make employment a priority and implement more proactive policies, it said.