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THE Chinese Government will increase openness and respond to public concern by various means including the Internet, Premier Li Keqiang said yesterday at a press conference after the conclusion of the annual legislative session in Beijing.
“Any information (about government affairs) that can be made public should be released... Openness shall be a standard practice while the lack of it an exception,” Li told the press conference.
More information needs to be made public if it concerns issues that involve public interests and balance sheets of public finance, he said. “We should make the government information as easily accessible to our people as one click away.”
He also promised that the government will upload as much information as possible to the Internet, saying cloud computing technologies would be adopted to supervise how power is used.
The government should also make timely responses to public concerns, he said.
If the people have questions or doubts about certain policies, the government has the duty to explain and even revise policies by drawing reasonable suggestions from the public, he said.
During the just-concluded “two sessions,” ministers in the State Council, or the Cabinet, were asked to be more proactive when talking to the press and answer questions in a straightforward manner, he said.
SZ-HK stock connect
China will strive to launch the Shenzhen-Hong Kong stock connect this year, the premier said.
The scheme will allow investors to trade on both bourses under a quota system and is seen as a move toward a closer relationship between the financial markets of Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland.
China established the Shanghai-Hong Kong Stock Connect in November 2014 to further open the mainland capital market to the outside world. It has operated steadily since its launch, paving the way for the Shenzhen-HK Stock Connect.
Support for agriculture
The Chinese Government will continue to support the development of agriculture and enhance the wellbeing of farmers, the premier said yesterday.
Prices of agricultural products, especially the prices of corn, wheat and rice, are higher than those in international markets, mainly because “our labor productivity is quite low,” Li said.
In the future, China will pursue coordinated development between new types of urbanization and agricultural modernization, he said.
“We will help more farmers migrate to cities. They will be granted urban residency if they meet certain requirements. That is also another way to raise their income,” Li said.
Payment of pensions
The Chinese Government is capable of guaranteeing payment of benefits for pensioners, Li said.
Li said provincial governments, under the current scheme, have both the liability and ability to ensure the payment of pensions after raising funds through multiple channels.
If provincial governments have done their best but face difficulties, the Central Government is prepared to help, Li said.
The balance of nationwide pension insurance was more than 3.4 trillion yuan (US$520 billion) last year, while the government reserved a social security fund worth 1.6 trillion yuan, Li said.
Social security
There is still room for China to reduce the burden on individuals and enterprises by cutting their payment into social security funds, the premier said.
The premier was referring to the social security package including the pension insurance, occupational injury insurance, medical insurance, birth insurance and unemployment insurance as well as housing provident funds.
Li said that the State Council cut the required contribution rate of occupational injury insurance, birth insurance and unemployment insurance last year.
There is still some room to cut the payment requirements to these social security programs as China’s overall social security funds are sufficient, Li said.
He said that more autonomy can be given to local governments to let them appropriately cut the required contribution rate to social security funds in accordance with their own conditions.
“The general principle is to reduce the burden on enterprises and enable the employees to get more cash,” he said.
HK stability, prosperity
Hong Kong will maintain long-term stability and prosperity, Premier Li said.
The Central Government’s policy of adhering to “one country, two systems,” the people of Hong Kong governing Hong Kong, and a high degree of autonomy has not changed and will not change, Li told the press conference.
The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) Government has the ability and Hong Kong people have the wisdom to properly handle the complex issues in Hong Kong, he said.
Hong Kong’s economy is an advanced one, so a 2.4-percent growth rate last year was not low, Li said, adding that Hong Kong can further use its own comparative strength and seize the opportunities offered by mainland development.
Cross-Strait links
Premier Li said the mainland will continue introducing measures conducive to trade and economic cooperation across the Taiwan Strait, on the premise of continued peaceful development of ties.
“As long as both sides recognize one China, we can discuss any issues,” Li said, adding that the bedrock is the 1992 Consensus.
“I’m optimistic about the future of peaceful development of cross-Strait ties,” he said.
The premier recalled his trip last year to Fujian Province, where entrepreneurs from Taiwan expressed concerns over whether preferential policies would continue.
“We issued a document right away, reassuring that the preferential policies for Taiwan investors will remain,” he said.
The development of trade and economic cooperation across the Strait will benefit people on both sides and help improve their livelihood, he said.
China-US ties
The common interests between China and the United States are bigger than their differences, Premier Li said.
China became the biggest trading partner of the United States last year, with the trading volume reaching nearly US$560 billion, Li said, noting that this shows “common interests far outweigh differences.”
For the healthy development of the China-U.S. relations, the two countries shall adhere to the principle of equality and mutual benefit, he said.
He said that the two countries are negotiating a bilateral investment treaty, adding that China will give American investors wider access to the Chinese market and it is hoped that the United States will do the same.
There are around 100 dialogue and exchange mechanisms between the two countries and the common interests will keep expanding as long as “we act in good faith and properly manage the differences,” he said.
China-Russia co-op
Li said that China-Russia relations will not be affected by changes in the international situation or pressures from a third party.
China follows the principle of non-alignment, and China-Russia cooperation will not be affected by a third party, Li said.
China and Russia are each other’s biggest neighbors, and there is a comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination in bilateral relations, the premier said.
“This relationship is an all-dimensional one,” he said, adding that President Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, have met with each other “quite often.”
There is a good political relationship and enhanced economic ties between the two countries.
China has developed its relations with Russia on the basis of mutual respect and mutual benefit, Li said, adding that China pursues an independent foreign policy of peace.
China and Russia can explore their cooperation in the integrated development of oil and natural gas, and introduce greater diversity in bilateral trade, said the premier.
China-Japan relations
The premier said he does not want to see China-Japan relations retrogress as bilateral ties have shown signs of improvement.
The premier also noted that a bilateral relationship is “not fully established and still fragile.”
The two sides should adhere to the consensus on historical issues and it is important to match words with actions, he said.
(Xinhua)
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