12th Five-Year Plan on track to meet socio-economic goals: scholar

PHNOM PENH -?China's 12th Five-Year Plan ( 2011-2015) has been on the track to meet the majority of social and economic development goals, an academic at a Cambodian university said on Friday.

The 12th plan has been mainly focused on economic development, reforms, innovation, environment and clean energy, rule of law advancement, agricultural modernization and livelihood improvement.

"Most of the goals set in the 12th plan have been achieved, such as economic development, deep reforms, infrastructure development, innovation and environmental degradation control," Joseph Matthews, director of the International Cooperation Department at the Phnom Penh-based Asia Euro University, told Xinhua.

"The other two remarkable achievements are the enhancement of the rule of law and the effective fight against corruption at all levels of government agencies and public and private sectors," he said.

The scholar said under Chinese President Xi Jinping's firm stance and zero tolerance policy against corruption, nobody is immune and above the law.

He said Xi is fully and honestly committed to transparency and accountability in all sectors of the government.

Sharing his view on China's 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-2020), which will be discussed during a key policy meeting this month and made effective during the annual session of China's top legislature in March next year, Matthews said the plan's main focus will be on socio-economic development and new infrastructure development.

He said boosting economic growth, deepening reforms, enforcing environmental protection, safeguarding people's living standards, and improving support for the poor, remain the main focal points of the plan.

"Chinese President Xi's Belt and Road Initiative and connectivity of regional and global markets will also be the focal points of interest in the next five-year plan," he said, adding that the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) will also be an important provision in the 13th plan.

"Anti-corruption campaigns to address the deepest seated problems of corruption at the central, provincial and local government-levels will dominate the agenda on the national policy implementations," he said.