TNAG-2804-FCO40-4044-National-People-s-Congress-and-Chinese-People-s-Political-Co-1993 — Page 24

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INFO PRIORITY HONG KONG, UKREP JLG HONG KONG, MODUK, ACTOR, INFO PRIORITY WASHINGTON, CANBERRA, TOKYO, SEOUL

CHINA: NATIONAL PEOPLE'S CONGRESS LI PENG'S WORK REPORT

SUMMARY

1.

LI PENG PRESENTS A PRAGMATIC WORK REPORT, WITH A DENGIST STAMP. NO SURPRISES. FOCUSSES HEAVILY ON THE ECONOMY.

SELF-CONGRATULATION FOR ACHIEVEMENTS IN THE PERIOD 1988-93 BUT ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF SOME FAILINGS. AVERAGE ECONOMIC GROWTH RATE FOR CURRENT 5 YEAR PLAN TO BE INCREASED TO 8 OR 9 PER CENT. DETAILS OF PROGRAMME FOR GOVERNMENT RESTRUCTURING. REVIEW OF FOREIGN POLICY

ACHIEVEMENTS.

DETAIL

2. THE FIRST SESSION OF THE EIGHTH NATIONAL PEOPLE'S CONGRESS WAS OPENED IN PEKING ON 15 MARCH BY CHAIRMAN OF THE PRESIDIUM STANDING COMMITTEE QIAO SHI. PREMIER LI PENG PRESENTED THE GOVERNMENT WORK REPORT, WHICH TOOK JUST OVER ONE AND A HALF HOURS TO DELIVER. IT LOOKED BACK ON THE PAST 5 YEARS AND IDENTIFIED THE CHALLENGES

FACING THE GOVERNMENT IN THE NEXT PERIOD.

ECONOMY

-

3. A SUBSTANTIAL AMOUNT OF THE WORK REPORT WAS DEVOTED TO THE ECONOMY AND LI REPEATED A NUMBER OF TIMES THAT ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT WAS THE ''CENTRAL TASK'' ACCORDINGLY, HE REVIEWED THE ECONOMIC RECORD OF THE PAST 5 YEARS, AND OF 1992 IN PARTICULAR, BEFORE MOVING ON TO OUTLINE THE BASIC ECONOMIC TASKS FOR THE NEXT FIVE YEARS. AN ADDITIONAL SECTION OF THE REPORT WAS ENTITLED ''SPEEDING UP THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A SOCIALIST MARKET ECONOMY''

4.

LI HIGHLIGHTED VARIOUS ECONOMIC ACHIEVEMENTS SINCE THE

NPC. THESE INCLUDED AN AVERAGE ANNUAL GDP GROWTH OF 7.9 PER CENT, AVERAGE ANNUAL GROWTH AGRICULTURAL OUTPUT OF 4.9 PER CENT AND IN INDUSTRIAL OUTPUT OF 15 PER CENT. LI PAID SPECIAL TRIBUTE TO THE

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