Vice President Hu Jintao and Vice Premier Li Lanqing participated, Tuesday, in group discussions of deputies to the Ninth National People's Congress (NPC) and members of the Ninth National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC).
The two are both members of the Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee Political Bureau.
Joining in a discussion with the NPC delegation from Guizhou Province, southwest China, Hu talked about the guiding role of Premier Zhu Rongji's report on the Outline of the Tenth Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development (2001-2005) and the grand blueprint represented by the outline.
The report and the outline fully embody the essence of the 15th Party Congress, held in 1997, and the recently-convened 5th plenary session of the 15th CPC Central Committee, Hu said.
He urged the province to boost local economic development by seizing the historic opportunity brought about by the strategy to develop the underdeveloped western regions and making use of its abundant natural resources.
On the same day, Vice-Premier Li visited and talked with a group of CPPCC National Committee members from the social welfare circle. In the meeting, Li thanked the advisors for their useful opinions and proposals and required State Council departments concerned to study and implement the proposals seriously.
Social welfare is closely related with the people, the vice premier said. He urged pushing ahead with reform of the country's social security system and further consolidating social security facilities, so as to enhance the level of social security in the country.
He urged local governments at different levels to take care of the people and make proper arrangements for the poor. China should further improve the social security system, set up a reliable and stable mechanism to raise social security funds and effectively operate and strictly manage the funds, he said.
(People’s Daily 03/07/2001)
