The central economic conference, an annual event
that sets out major economic strategy and policy for the coming
year, called for resolute measures to put an end to high
consumption of energy and resources, heavy pollution and low
economic returns.
China will develop a resource-efficient development
mode by giving priority to resource and energy saving, promoting
recycling and creating savings-oriented industrial and consumption
patterns, according to the strategy adopted at the three-day
meeting that concluded on Sunday.
They also emphasized innovation as being central to
pushing forward structural readjustment.
China will improve research and development,
continue to import and absorb advanced technology while striving
for innovation and perfect policy mechanisms to encourage this,
according to the strategy.
Structural readjustment will be facilitated by
boosting healthy urbanization and striving for coordinated regional
development.
Under the strategy, China, which is in the
important period of accelerated urbanization, will properly handle
relations between urban and rural areas, protect and save its land
resources and safeguard the legitimate rights of farmers, and
control the speed of urbanization.
China will continue its strategy to develop its
vast but impoverished western area, reinvigorate the industrial
belt in the northeast, and promote development of central areas,
while encouraging the coastal area to take the lead in economic
development for common development.
The meeting called for efforts to give full play to
the important role of the market in regional development, and
comparative advantages of various regions while increasing
assistance to economically underdeveloped areas and other areas in
need.
(Xinhua News Agency December 5, 2004)