Top legislator Wu Bangguo calls for adherence to the concept of scientific development in building a "harmonious socialist society" during a panel discussion Friday at an on-going plenary session of the 10th National People's Congress (NPC) in Beijing.

While affirming achievements the people of China has made over the past year in macroeconomic control with lawmakers from eastern Anhui Province, Wu, chairman of the 10th NPC Standing Committee, underscored intensified efforts to "solve certain complex, eminent problems arising from the country's economic and social development" so as to spur the harmonious development of both economy and society.

"It is a crucial task for the Communist Party of China (CPC) to build a harmonious socialist society against a backdrop of constructing a well-off society in an all-round way," said Wu while referring to the "harmonious society" notion, recently endorsed by the Chinese leadership as a new guideline for the country's social and economic development.

Wu, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, acknowledged that the crux of the matter hinges on development when resolving contradictions and problems cropping up in the course of China's socio-economic development.

Wu also called for readjusting the economic structure, balancing the efficiency of economic growth with social justice, reducing development disparities between urban and rural areas, and tackling problems of immediate interests relevant to the masses of people.

(Xinhua News Agency March 6, 2005)