CHINA has decided on greater policy support for keeping payrolls stable, boosting job creation, and ensuring smooth transport and logistics, urging greater efforts to unclog bottlenecks and make circulation unimpeded, according to a State Council’s Executive Meeting.

“Now we need to place greater importance on stabilizing employment. The new round of COVID flare-ups has hit employment quite hard. More forceful measures will be taken to enable the early resumption of full-capacity production of enterprises on the basis of sound COVID-19 control,” Premier Li Keqiang told the meeting Wednesday.

The meeting called for dedicated efforts to support market entities in keeping their payrolls stable, including expanding policies to temporarily defer premiums payment for old-age insurance, unemployment insurance and workers’ compensation, and supporting college graduates to start their own businesses.

The meeting also noted that transport and logistics are like the veins of a market economy, and provides strong underpinning for meeting people’s basic needs. Regarding the recent clogs in freight logistics in some regions, the State Council has set up a working mechanism.

The COVID response and smooth transportation and logistics will be better coordinated. Inter-agency coordination and cross-regional collaboration will be strengthened to further smooth international and domestic logistics.

“We must maintain smooth transportation and logistics. This is crucial to sustaining stable overall economic performance and ensuring people’s well-being. This work should take a key place on our agenda,” Li said.

The meeting required efforts to ensure the efficient running of trunk traffic network. Toll stations and service areas along expressways should stay open to the greatest extent possible. (Xinhua)