政府工作報(bào)告

Report on the Work of the Government

——2014年3月5日在第十二屆全國人民代表大會第二次會議上

Delivered at the Second Session of the Twelfth
National People's Congress on March 5, 2014

國務(wù)院總理 李克強(qiáng)

Li Keqiang, Premier of the State Council

目 錄

Contents

Last year was the first year for this government to perform its functions in accordance with the law, and it had arduous tasks. We faced a complex environment: the world economic recovery was difficult. In China, downward pressure on the economy increased, natural disasters occurred frequently, and there was an array of interrelated problems.

However, the people of all of China's ethnic groups, under the leadership of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) with Comrade Xi Jinping as General Secretary, confidently met all challenges, strove to overcome difficulties, fully attained the main targets for economic and social development for the year, and made impressive achievements in reform and opening up and in the socialist modernization drive.

Taking government reform as our starting point, we made accelerating the transformation of government functions, streamlining administration and delegating more power to lower-level governments the top priority of this government.

Reform of State Council bodies was carried out in an orderly manner. We abolished or delegated to lower-level governments 416 items previously subject to State Council review and approval in batches, revised the list of investment projects requiring government review and approval, and carried forward reform of the business registration system.

Local governments actively transformed their functions and reformed their departments, and greatly reduced the matters requiring their review and approval. The pilot project to replace business tax with value-added tax (VAT) was expanded, and 348 administrative fees were either canceled or exempted, thus reducing the burden on businesses by more than 150 billion yuan.

All this further improved the market environment and invigorated businesses. The number of newly registered businesses increased by 27.6% nationwide. Private investment increased to 63% of the country's total investment. Interest rate controls on loans were completely lifted. A trial on implementing the National Equities and Exchange Quotations was carried out nationwide. Unified registration of immovable property was launched. The reform greatly invigorated the market and stimulated development and social creativity, and boosted our efforts to streamline administration and delegate more power to lower-level governments.

We deepened reform endeavors. The China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone was established and the management model of pre-establishment national treatment (PENT) with a negative list was introduced. The vision of establishing a Silk Road economic belt and a 21st century maritime Silk Road was put forward. The China-ASEAN Free Trade Zone was upgraded. Free trade agreements were respectively signed with Switzerland and Iceland.

We implemented the policy to keep increases in foreign trade stable and improved customs, inspection, quarantine and other supervision and control services. Major trade disputes over anti-dumping and countervailing duties on Chinese products, such as photovoltaic solar products, were successfully resolved. We marketed China's high-speed rail and nuclear power technologies and equipment on the international market. China's outbound investment increased significantly. The number of Chinese tourists going overseas reached close to 100 million. The sustained progress of opening up created more space for China's development.

In the first half of last year, China's exports fluctuated drastically, the economic growth rate continued to decline, central government revenue registered negative growth for the first time in many years, and the inter-bank offered rate for lending rose sharply. There was overseas speculation that China's economy would have a "hard landing."

In response to all this, we adhered to a proactive fiscal policy and a prudent monetary policy. We did not adopt short-term stimulus measures, increase the deficit or issue excessive currency. Instead, we increased effective supply, unleashed potential demand, confidently dealt with short-term market fluctuations, and kept economic activities from sliding out of the proper range. All these efforts reassured the market and played a vital role in sustaining steady economic growth. Last year, the deficit was kept within the budgeted range and the broad money supply (M2) increased by 13.6%, well within the target range.

Last year, we made new ground in conducting China's diplomacy. President Xi Jinping and other new state leaders accomplished much through their participation in major multilateral events, including the G20 Leaders Summit, the APEC Economic Leaders Meeting, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit, the BRICS Leaders Meeting, and the East Asian leaders meetings, and their visits to a number of countries.

China entered a new phase in pursuing neighborhood diplomacy. Progress was made in economic diplomacy. China's exchanges and cooperation with other developing countries reached a new level. China's relations with other major countries steadily grew through interaction. China played the role of a large responsible country in important international and regional issues and hotspot issues. We resolutely safeguarded China's sovereignty, territorial integrity and maritime rights and interests. China's influence in the world further increased.

The achievements we made last year did not come easily. We owe them to the correct leadership of the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping as General Secretary as well as to the concerted efforts of the whole Party, the entire armed forces, and the people of all of China's ethnic groups.

On behalf of the State Council, I express our sincere gratitude to the people of all our ethnic groups and to the democratic parties, people's organizations and people from all sectors of society. I express our heartfelt appreciation to our compatriots in the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions, our Taiwan compatriots, and overseas Chinese. I also express our sincere thanks to foreign governments, international organizations and friends from all over the world that show understanding of and support China in its endeavor to achieve modernization.

In carrying out our work ahead, we will adhere to the thinking and practices that proved effective in last year's government work and keep improving them.

At the same time, we must be keenly aware of the many difficulties and problems on our road ahead. The main ones are: The foundation for sustaining steady economic growth is not yet firm, and the internal impetus driving growth needs to be increased. Risks and hidden dangers still exist in public finance and banking; some industries are heavily burdened by excess production capacity; and the exercise of macro-controls has become more difficult. Increasing agricultural output and rural incomes is becoming more difficult. Air, water and soil pollution is severe in some places, and the task of conserving energy and reducing emissions remains arduous. There are major structural problems constraining employment. There are still many problems which people are unhappy about in housing, food and drug safety, medical services, old-age services, education, income distribution, land expropriation and resettlement, and public order. Serious and major industrial accidents occur frequently. The social credibility system needs to be improved. Some government employees are prone to corruption and some still do not perform their duties with integrity and diligence.

Some of these problems have arisen in the course of development and others have occurred because we have not done our work well enough. The government must first examine itself to identify the causes of these problems and work out ways to resolve them. It must follow people's wishes in exercising governance. We must firmly bear in mind our duties and mission, increase our sense of vigilance against potential dangers, be eager to take on challenges, work tirelessly and effectively to solve problems, and truly live up to people's expectations.