3) Regulation of market prices will be strengthened. Temporary measures will be taken earnestly when needed to hold down the prices of some key basic necessities. We will continue to rigorously oversee and review educational charges, medical costs, telecommunications rates, prices of agricultural supplies and other charges and fees related to farmers. We will severely punish people who fabricate and spread price rise rumors, conspire to raise prices, hoard goods for speculation and engage in price gouging.
4) Market price surveillance will be strengthened. We will improve the surveillance and early warning system for supply and demand and price changes of bulk farm products, primary products and essential agricultural supplies. We will guide enterprises to be fair, lawful, honest and trustworthy in setting prices. We will work out contingency plans to address unusual fluctuations in market supply and prices.
5) We will improve and implement the assistance program for low-income people, and in particular, we will increase subsidies for people who are destitute and students from financially strapped families and ensure that they receive help promptly.
6) We will correctly guide public opinion to stabilize consumer expectations.
We will work hard to expand consumption demand.
1) Efforts will be made to increase consumption capacity. We will continue to increase the incomes of middle- and low-income people. We will establish a mechanism to ensure regular wage increases and regular payment of wages. Enterprises will be encouraged to set up a collective bargaining mechanism for wages. The system of suggested wage levels will be improved. The minimum wage system will be improved and strictly followed. Methods for managing SOE payrolls will be reformed and oversight for income distribution in monopoly industries will be tightened. We will protect the legitimate rights and interests of employees in strict accordance with the Law on Labor Contracts and other related laws and regulations. Beginning January 1, 2008, pensions for enterprise retirees will be raised again over the next three years. We will continue to do a good job standardizing and granting allowances and subsidies for public servants, and accelerate the reform of the wage system for public service institutions.
2) The consumption environment will be improved. We will improve the rural distribution infrastructure by improving the wholesale market system for farm products and the distribution network for agricultural supplies and modernizing the grain distribution chain. We will improve the system for making postal and telecommunications services more widely available. We will rigorously monitor the sanitation, quality and safety of all products, especially food and drugs. The requirements for obtaining approval to produce and market products with a potential impact on human health and safety will be raised. We will step up our efforts to build a system of product quality standards and guide and encourage enterprises to adopt international standards or advanced foreign standards.
