Address on current economy

What we are doing now is to ensure not only stable performance of the economy, but also continued social progress. In fact, while pursuing social progress, we have overcome all kinds of challenges, including natural disasters, to keep the economy on a stable footing. For instance, after an earthquake hit Lushan, Sichuan Province several months ago, the central Party leadership and the State Council mobilized various resources and launched a timely, effective, well-organized and orderly rescue operation. When I arrived on the scene, roads had been blocked and traffic cut off. But very soon helicopters joined rescue efforts. By the time I reached the epicenter, officials from neighboring provinces were already there. This shows that the people in the country are eager to help victims of the disaster. The swift action taken also shows that Sichuan Province had gained experience from dealing with the Wenchuan earthquake. We made a decision there and then that to ensure orderly and smooth rescue operation, Sichuan Province should take main charge with the help of a working group dispatched by the State Council which would provide Sichuan with what it needed. This helped us minimize the death toll. The Central Government then decided that similar future disasters should be handled in the same way. Likewise, thanks to experience gained from fighting the SARS epidemic and influenza A (H1N1) pandemic, we were able to prevent and control the avian influenza (H7N9) in a scientific and orderly fashion.

We have also worked hard to resolve problems of concern to the people. Take air pollution for example, we have adopted a ten-point action plan to improve air quality in Beijing within three to five years. We will make every effort to remove pollution sources. But this, of course, takes time. We have also intensified regulation and supervision over food and drug safety. During the reform of government departments, we placed responsibilities for food and drug safety scattered among various government departments under the newly established China Food and Drug Administration. This avoids shifting responsibilities, a situation aptly described in Chinese fables: In one case, nine dragons entrusted with fighting flood shifted responsibility to one another, causing failure in flood control. In another case, three monks all shirked the responsibility of bringing water from the well, and as a result, all had no water to drink. We have also addressed the issue of infant formula, placing it under drug regulation to ensure its safety. In short, we need to pursue coordinated economic and social development to ensure long-term, sustained and healthy growth of the Chinese economy.