President Xi calls for efforts to make reforms more effective

BEIJING - President Xi Jinping on Monday called for further efforts to improve the effectiveness of reforms and widen the scope of their benefits.

The country should introduce more reforms that can help invigorate the economy, promote social justice, give people a greater sense of gain and mobilize the participation of the masses, according to a statement released after a meeting of the Central Leading Group for Deepening Overall Reform, chaired by Xi, head of the group.

A slew of guidelines and plans were passed at the meeting.

The leading group pledged to step up supervision over state-owned enterprises and assets through strict and independent auditing, and to strengthen scrutiny over the budget and use of state capital.

More focus should be given to managing the structure of state assets, regulating capital use, enhancing capital returns and protecting the safety of capital, the statement said.

Regarding the administration on natural resource assets, China will seek a unified national natural resource asset management mechanism to improve the effectiveness of asset protection.

An effective intellectual property rights management mechanism will be put in place to support innovation, the leading group promised.

The guidelines approved at Monday's meeting also include improving the service capabilities of township governments, taking better care of the country's elderly, enhancing farmland protection, and piloting national parks for pandas, Siberian tigers and leopards.

Policymakers stressed the role of soft power in implementing the Belt and Road Initiative, calling for proper guidance of public opinion to support the scheme.

The group asked authorities to map out reform work for next year to ensure overhauls proceed steadily with fresh momentum as the 19th Communist Party of China (CPC) National Congress approaches.

The meeting was also attended by Li Keqiang, Liu Yunshan and Zhang Gaoli, members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and deputy heads of the group.

Over the course of the 30 meetings convened by the leading group since December 2013, hundreds of measures have been designed and released to address issues such as urbanization, poverty alleviation, innovation and the market's role in resource allocation.

The most recent emphasis on reform came three years after the key Third Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Committee in 2013, which featured a comprehensive reform package covering 15 areas and 60 tasks.

China aims to achieve "decisive results" in major reform areas by 2020.