Price hikes top concern

Soaring prices are of top concern to the people and also of the government, says an article in People's Daily. The following is an excerpt:

It is not surprising market prices are a topic of discussion at this year's sessions of the NPC and the CPPCC since it is an indicator of the people's well-being. In the government work report, Premier Wen Jiabao stressed that we should "prevent economic growth from being relatively too fast which could further overheat the economy, and price rises must be curbed to prevent higher inflation".

This won the support of many members and deputies. As one member, Liu Canglong, said: "The price of a carton of milk (about 200 gram) has risen by 0.3 yuan (0.04 US cents) and pork per kg by 4 yuan (56 US cents) in the past months. The price rises are obvious and it is time to introduce controls."