VOICES FROM THE PEOPLE

Minsheng, or people’s well-being, has become the catchword during sessions of the 11th National People’s Congress (NPC), China’s top legislature, and the 11th National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), the country’s top advisory body, which wound up respectively on March 14 and March 13. No matter whether minsheng arose in group discussions, or in motions and proposals, NPC deputies and CPPCC members expressed concerns and put forward ideas for solutions to problems involving people’s well-being—such as skyrocketing house prices, educational reform, employment and low-carbon economy—to make sure the people’s voices were heard.

Selected summaries of their opinions follow:

Stabilizing the Housing Market

Guo Guoqing: deputy to the 11th NPC and Director of the China Marketing Research Center at Renmin University of China

The country is now faced with the urgent task of curbing surges in house prices in major cities that is choking consumption and widening the rich-poor gap. To achieve this, it will be necessary to clamp down on speculators hoarding empty houses and property developers sitting on unused land.

Local governments, in particular,should attempt to calm soaring land prices and reduce their reliance on land sales as a source of revenues. The Central Government is supposed to step up supplies of affordable houses to improve the livelihood of low-income groups. In addition, it is also necessary to streamline the rental market and repair many dilapidated houses in rural areas. A stable and consistent policy for the sector would also help avoid cyclical volatility and ensure the health of the market.

Meanwhile, regulators must keep a close eye on mortgage lending and put in place powerful measures to fend off property-related financial risks. The real estate industry has become a pillar force of the national economy, so its healthy development deserves the utmost attention from policymakers.

Employment is Key

Li Xinghao: deputy to the 11th NPC and General Manager of Guangdong Chigo Air-Conditioning Co. Ltd.

In the work report delivered by Premier Wen Jiabao, the government vowed to create at least 9 million urban jobs this year, a daunting challenge at a time of global downturn.

I believe a viable option is to alleviate taxes and other financial burdens on enterprises so they can tide over tough times and avoid layoffs. Many hard-hit small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are still struggling, and their recovery would help put a solid fl oor under the buckling job market.

The pains of many SMEs lie in a lack of access to loans due to the unwillingness of commercial banks to lend them money.So an effective countermeasure is to direct easier credit into small businesses and improve the credit guarantee system.

Very few university graduates have the initial capital to start up their own businesses. But this is starting to change since the government has offered a series of powerful policy incentives, such as small loans, tax breaks and relevant training.

The Fight Against Corruption

Liang Huixing: deputy to the 11th NPC and a senior researcher with the Law Institute of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences

The government has attached great importance to the fi ght against corruption.In his work report to the NPC, Premier Wen said government of fi cials must report their property and “willingly” accept the oversight of disciplinary bodies.

Despite significant progress in the country’s anti-corruption drive, vigorous efforts are still needed to press ahead with precautionary measures and strict enforcement of punishments. For example, it is necessary for the government to increase transparency in promoting officials and take public opinion into consideration, as well as regulate the bidding process for public projects and government purchases.

It is also imperative to establish an effective system for officials to report their personal property including incomes,housing, investments, and spouses’ and children’s jobs.

Judicial departments, in particular, must deepen their reforms to improve ef fi ciency and consolidate supervision over judicial of fi cials in the fi ght against corruption.

Supporting the Green Economy

Liu Shaozhong: deputy to the 11th NPC and Director of the Yunnan Provincial Commission of Industry and Information Technology

Energy shortages and environmental degradation are placing an onus on the Chinese economy to go low-carbon. This means enterprises must improve their energy ef fi ciency and curb emissions, and individuals must reduce their carbon footprints. Even simple behavioral changes,such as turning off unused lights or walking to work instead of driving, could be helpful to greening the planet.

Curbing highly polluting and energyguzzling industries could compromise GDP growth for a short time, but given its far-reaching implications for the economy,it is well worth the effort.

Last year, we promoted the use of more than 8 million energy-saving lights across the province, which in turn helped conserve 230 million yuan ($34 million)worth of electricity and avoid emissions of more than 435,000 tons of carbon dioxide.

To accelerate development in the green economy, the country will have to push for greater use of renewable energies, like wind and hydro-power, and press ahead with environmentally friendly sectors, like tourism and hi-tech businesses.

Urbanization Swings Into Gear

Su Rong: deputy to the 11th NPC and Secretary of Jiangxi Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China

As China picks up the pace of urbanization, an inevitable question arises: how can it properly help farmers integrate into urban lives? Many young migrant workers born in the 1980s and 1990s are unfamiliar with farming and wish to move to cities.

Obviously, smaller towns on the outskirts of urban areas, as opposed to the crowded cities themselves, will absorb most of the rural residents. But this requires removal of many social system barriers,including the established household registration system, to grant farmers equal rights with urban residents, as well as education,healthcare and pension benefits. A better social safety net would also add an extra incentive for farmers to increase spending and buoy the consumer market.

Of course, efforts must also be made to improve infrastructure and public services in small towns, and help create more jobs for rural migrants. The government is expected to step up fiscal investments and fi nancial support needed to accelerate development in small towns.

Educational Reform

Zhang Xinsheng: member of the 11th CPPCC National Committee and Vice Minister of Education

Chinese government departments,including the Ministry of Education, are concerned about educational reform: how to cultivate students with various abilities instead of just placing emphasis on exams?

We are now in a test run of curriculum reform. We think it is not proper to divide student in high schools into two groups—one focusing on studying history, politics and literature and another on the study of chemistry,physics and mathematics. It is de fi nitely not good for the development of the students.Modern society demands talented people with comprehensive development, including literature and natural sciences.

Now our education focuses more on intellectual education and doesn’t pay enough attention to moral and physical education.This is not a healthy educational system.

Some people blame employment problems facing college students on enlarged enrollment in universities. I don’t think this is correct. After China began the openingup and reform policy more than 30 years ago, for a long time the number of college graduates couldn’t meet the demand of social development, so a higher enrollment in some way solved the problem.

Our country’s development needs technology and talent. Governments at all levels, public enterprises and private fi rms must work together.

Rural Pension Insurance

Xie Deti: member of the 11th CPPCC National Committee and a professor of Southwest University based in Chongqing Municipality

Rural pension insurance reform is another important reform after taxation reform in rural areas. Including rural residents in the insurance system is part of the demand in providing an insurance system for the whole of society and also demanded by a balanced development of rural and urban areas.

Pension insurance in rural areas has long been a difficult problem and a concern of great importance for their development. Since the 1980s, the government has gradually set up a social insurance system. A rural pension insurance project was started in 1992 but didn’t make any obvious achievements.

Apart from fi nancial support from the government and the completion of a social insurance system, pension insurance relies more on the economic development of rural areas.

By the end of 2012, pension insurance will cover 40 districts and counties affiliated with Chongqing Municipality.

A Fairer Distribution System

Song Xiaowu: member of the 11th CPPCC National Committee and Director of the China Society of Economic Reform

In recent years, with steady increases in people’s incomes in rural and urban areas, there has developed an increasingly large gap between the rich and the poor.One of the reasons is that people working in state monopolized companies get very high incomes. This is the result of an imbalance of government-allocated and market-allocated resources.

This problem, if not solved, will have a negative effect on social stability.

My suggestion is that we should raise the minimum wage for low-income earners, as well as regulate pro fi t allocation of state-owned monopolies.

Medical Reform

Yang Jinsheng: member of the 11th CPPCC National Committee and Deputy Director of the Institute of Acupuncture and Moxibustion under the China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences

There are quite a few types of medical insurance in China, and different places have difference policies on adopting it,which makes management more dif fi cult. I think we should set up a complete medical insurance system that applies to all people,with commercial insurance and social welfare as complements.

I think it is very necessary to focus on the importance of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) in modern times. TCM is effective in treating chronic diseases and we should include TCM in the public medical services system.

Many people seem to think that only after they are treated in big hospitals in big cities will they be cured from diseases. This is one of the reasons that make it dif fi cult to see doctors. I think we should improve the situation in two ways: one is to develop more community clinics which are more convenient for residents; another is to further spread the All-China Sport Project.

Spurring Consumption

Zheng Xinli: member of the 11th CPPCC National Committee and Vice Chairman of China Center for International Economic Exchanges

Our economic development now relies more on investment and exports. To transform its mode, we should make consumption play a bigger role in economic development, which means we should expand domestic demand. In 2009, with the impact of global crisis, our exports dropped 16 percent, making the expansion of domestic demand a more urgent task.

In 2009, China achieved an 8.7-percent increase in economic growth through investment and consumption, which means we have made great progress in transforming the mode. But the proportion of investment was much greater than consumption, and the latter dropped to its lowest level since 1979.

Increasing consumption is a crucial must to transform the development mode.

The government work report requires we should increase the consumption rate from 35 percent to 50 percent, an increase of 15 percent,in the next two or three years. If we can do this,total retail sales of social consumer goods will increase by 50 percent. I think we can do it. ■