China faces daunting task in slashing absolute poverty: Premier Li

By Masood Sattar Khan
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

Premier Li Kequiang remarked that the China was determined to prioritize the work of meeting people's essential needs and achieve the country's target in poverty alleviation this year.

He stated that China now faced a daunting task in slashing absolute poverty. Before COVID-19 struck, there were about five million people living below the official poverty line. Because of the disease, some have fallen back into poverty. 

Premier Li Keqiang expressed these views while addressing a press conference after the closing of the third session of the 13th National People's Congress in Beijing on May 28. 

He took questions from Chinese and foreign reporters via video link. 

He disclosed that China will introduce more targeted and effective measures to further reduce corporate operating costs and the country will achieve its development goals for this year, as well as the goal of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects. 

“China still reserved policies in fiscal, financial and social security arenas and the country is in a strong position to quickly introduce new measures to keep its economic development on a steady course,” he added.

The Premier stressed that China's economic policies in coping with shocks of the novel coronavirus will focus on keeping jobs and protecting people's livelihoods. 

“The country focus will be on massive supportive policies and 70 percent of the funds from the supportive policies will be used to increase people's income, which can spur consumption and increase market demand,” he explained. 

“China and many other countries are investing into the research and development of vaccines, effective drugs and testing agents, which, when available, should become public goods. China is ready to share those products,” Li Keqiang announced. 

China, he said, will continue to manage any outbreak promptly and control the contagion in a scientific manner, and no cover-up will be allowed adding China's principle and policy toward Taiwan has been consistent, adhering to the one-China principle and the 1992 Consensus. 

"We are firmly opposed to Taiwan independence. On this basis, we are ready to communicate with any political party, group or individual in Taiwan to promote peaceful development across the Straits and peaceful reunification of the country," he declared.

“The national security legislation for Hong Kong is designed to ensure steady implementation of ‘one country, two systems’ in the special administrative region, as well as upholding its long-term stability and prosperity. It is the country's basic policy and the central government has always stressed the need to fully and faithfully implement the principle, under which Hong Kong people administer Hong Kong with a high degree of autonomy,” he explained. 

“The decoupling of China and the United States, two major economies, will do neither side any good, and it is also harmful to the world. The differences, disagreements and even frictions are unavoidable given the two countries' differences in terms of social systems, cultural heritage and historical backgrounds,” the Premier narrated. 

"What's important is how we manage these disagreements and differences," he said, noting that the bilateral relationship has been moving forward in the past decades amid twists and turns. 

He called for international cooperation in offsetting the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the global economy, and said that China will firmly expand its opening-up to the rest of the world. 

Saying it's impossible for any country to achieve further development with its door closed, Li Keqiang reiterated China's commitment to the opening up policy and the country will introduce more opening-up measures on its own initiative. 

The Premier gave detailed answers to the various queries and also deliberated on China’s trade policies towards US, Japan and the Republic of Korea.