Wen emphasizes political reform

Premier Wen Jiabao meets both Chinese and foreign reporters in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Monday. Ren Yong / Xinhua

BEIJING - Highlighting reform as the "eternal theme" through history, Premier Wen Jiabao has pledged that China will forge ahead with political and economic restructuring to fill the country with vitality.

"Political and economic restructuring should be advanced in a coordinated way," the premier said at a press conference following the conclusion of the annual session of the National People's Congress (NPC) on Monday morning.

"Political reform provides a guarantee for economic restructuring," he said.

"Without it, economic restructuring would not succeed and its achievements could be lost."

But it is by no means easy to press ahead with political restructuring in a large country that has a population of 1.3 billion people, he added.

Political restructuring needs a stable and harmonious social environment and should be pushed forward in an orderly way under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, he said.

The premier cited several issues to which political and economic reform would offer solutions. At present, he said, corruption poses the biggest threat to the country and, to wipe out the root cause of graft, the nation should pursue institutional reform.

"The fate of a country lies with the heart of its people," Wen said. "If we are to address the people's grievances and meet their wishes, we must create conditions for the people to criticize and supervise the government."

Wen made similar remarks in his government work report delivered at the annual NPC parliamentary session last year, when he said: "We will promote transparency of administrative affairs, ... let the news media fully play their oversight role, and exercise power openly."

Wen said fairness and justice are the basis of social stability and fairness must be realized in income distribution and promoted in the access to educational and healthcare resources.

"If we are to achieve the aforementioned goals, we must go forward with economic and political restructuring," Wen said.

He also pointed out that everyone should have the opportunity to receive an education, so all people can reach their potential and think independently and creatively.

Li Yining, a leading Chinese economist, said political reform in China should move forward with Chinese characteristics.

Li, who is also a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, the country's top advisory body, said the people's congresses should supervise the governments at various levels and he stressed that government officials should perform their duties according to the law.

In addition, transparency should be enhanced in the promotion and demotion of government officials, Li said during an online talk on a website run by People's Daily on Thursday.

Fang Ning, deputy director of the Political Studies Institute of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, a major government think tank, was quoted by Xinhua News Agency as saying that he believed there could be no "timetable" for political reform in China because it would proceed, based on conditions, in an active but steady way.

Wen's wordsCorruption

I think government corruption is the biggest danger at present. To eradicate corruption, we must pursue institutional reform.

social stability

Fairness and justice are the essential characteristics of socialism and also the basis of social stability.

inflation

Inflation is like a tiger that is hard to get back in its cage if it is released.

confidence

We must be prepared for hardship and keep our mind clear. Meanwhile, we must be confident, because confidence is like the sun that brings us brightness and hope.

workload

My term will end in two years. I am fully aware that my work in the coming two years will be no easier than it was in any previous years.

Governing a country is like doing farm work. I will devote myself to it day and night in order to bring in a good harvest.

turbulence

China is deeply concerned about the political turbulence in some western Asian and northern African countries, but any analogy between China and those countries is not right.

development paths

All countries can choose their own development paths based on their conditions and we respect their choices.

measuring success

The most important measure for evaluating a government official is to see whether his region has achieved coordinated development in both the economy and social affairs and not only in quantitative economic growth.

culture

Culture and tradition are the soul of a country. China must fully carry forward its traditions while, at the same time, learning from other civilizations in the world. Only in this way can we further develop our culture and make our country stronger.

strength

The strength of a country lies not only in its economic power but also in the quality of its people, the development of its culture and in social morals.