Main Tasks and Targets for 2016 Accomplished: Chinese Premier
Beijing | 4th March 2017
Watch Chinese Premier Li Keqiang Address in Mandarin, with English Subtitles
CCTV | China’s main tasks and targets for the year 2016 have been accomplished, indicating a good start for the country’s 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-2020), said Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Sunday.
Li made the remarks in the annual government work report to nearly 3,000 deputies at the opening meeting of the fifth session of the 12th National People’s Congress in Beijing.
The achievements were from all aspects, including economy, employment, reform and opening up, structural adjustments, scientific and technological innovation, infrastructure, living standards and social development, the premier said.
Li said China’s economy has registered a slower but stable performance with good momentum for growth in 2016.
“GDP reached 74.4 trillion yuan, representing 6.7-percent growth, and seeing China outpace most other economies. China contributed more than 30 percent of global growth,” Li said.
The premier said employment growth exceeded projections in 2016. A total of 13.14 million new urban jobs were added. The number of college graduates finding jobs or starting businesses reached another record high, Li said.
“The registered urban unemployment rate stood at 4.02 percent at year-end of 2016, the lowest level in years. For China, a large developing country with a population of over 1.3 billion, attaining this level of employment is no easy task,” he said.
Consumption was the main driver of economic growth. The value created by the service sector rose to 51.6 percent of GDP. High-tech industries and equipment manufacturing grew rapidly.
Further progress was made in pursuing the innovation-driven development strategy, and a number of world-leading achievements were made in science and technology.
“New businesses registered increased 24.5 percent year-on-year — an average of 15,000 new businesses daily. With self-employed traders and other market entities included we had an average of 45,000 new market entities launched per day. New growth drivers are opening new prospects for China’s development,” Li said.
The premier noted that infrastructure became ever-better able to sustain development as over 1,900 km of new high-speed rail lines came into service and more than 6,700 km of expressways and 290,000 km of rural roads were built or upgraded.
Personal per capita disposable income increased by 6.3 percent in real terms. The number of people living in poverty in rural areas was reduced by 12.4 million including more than 2.4 million people relocated from inhospitable areas.
In tourism, domestic trips showed rapid growth, and overseas trips exceeded 120 million. People in both urban and rural areas saw a rise in living standards, Li noted.
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Watch: Chinese Premier Li Keqiang Address in Mandarin, with English Subtitles
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