CPC meeting underlines further reform

BEIJING - Participants at a meeting of the Communist Party of China (CPC) on Monday decided that deepening reform would help China reach its economic and social development targets this year.

The meeting of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee was convened to discuss the government work report to be submitted for deliberation at the annual plenary session of the National People's Congress, the top legislature, in early March.

China achieved better-than-expected results last year, despite experiencing more difficulties than expected, according to the meeting.

Participants concluded that China will continue to implement a proactive fiscal policy and prudent monetary policy, stabilize and improve its macro-control policies, keep economic growth "within a rational zone" and elevate growth quality and efficiency in order to achieve this year's goals.

The country has a solid foundation to attain medium and high-speed economic growth in the near future, according to the meeting, presided over by General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee Xi Jinping.

A decision was made to strive for new breakthrough in major areas of reform, construct an open economy, push forward "high-level" opening up and foster new world-class competitive edges, with the emphasis on restructuring the economic system.

It was also decided that the role of domestic demand as a "major engine" to drive economic growth should be bolstered, agricultural modernization and reform should be advanced, and more efforts should be devoted to protect the environment and fight air pollution.

The meeting also stressed the importance of urbanization, innovation, healthcare reform, the development of education and cultural sectors, and improving people's living standards.