Premier Wen Jiabao said on Wednesday that China will focus on pushing forward economic, social and institutional reforms for sustainable economic development and the improved well-being of the general public.

Addressing the executive meeting of the State Council, the premier said China will continue to restructure its economy and further transform its mode of economic growth to improve efficiency.

More recently, China has taken steps to improve its irrational and inefficient economic structure by curbing excessive investment in sectors and fields that are energy-intensive, resources-intensive, highly polluting and inefficient.

The premier said structural reform, followed by an implementation of the scientific concept of development, is needed to solve the problems.
 
Wen said China will continue its efforts to promote the transformation of governmental functions to reduce governmental intervention in matters that should be dealt with by enterprises, intermediate organizations and the market.

The related department of the State Council will pay more attention to macroeconomic management so that enterprises will play a key role in investment, while the central government will exercise necessary guidance, control and supervision of investment in general to prevent "blind" investment and duplicated construction, the premier said.

Wen added that China will continue to carry out major economic reforms to safeguard the fundamental interests of the general public. Areas targeted for reform include employment, social security, education, medical services, poverty reduction, environmental protection, and workplace safety.

He said China will also "open its door wider" to the outside world by improving its foreign economic management system and handling of affairs in relation to its entry to the World Trade Organization.

China will properly deal with trade disputes, improve its foreign trade structure and its investment environment, and upgrade its utilization of overseas capital.

Participants at the meeting held that the economic and social situation in China is generally good and the economy is moving in the direction envisaged by the central government in regulating the economy.

China has made breakthroughs in some key areas, including rural tax reform, financial, investment and logistic reforms, the participants said.   

(Xinhua News Agency August 25, 2005)