Demonstrate a more equal social vision - Li Keqiang's many commitments

Demonstrate a more equal social vision - Li Keqiang's many commitments Beijing Date Li Keqiang spoke out publicly for the first time as China's new Prime Minister. He showed the public...

Beijing Date Li Keqiang spoke publicly for the first time as China's new Prime Minister. He showed the public the vision of a more equal society, in which environmental protection trumps unchecked growth and government officials put the welfare of the people above their own economic interests.

"Corruption and the credibility of our government should be said to be incompatible," he told reporters at the Great Hall of the People.

Li Keqiang met with reporters after the annual National People's Congress held its final meeting on Sunday to appoint new government leaders, where he pledged to reduce barriers to private investment, rein in powerful interest groups that dominate many sectors of the economy, and shrink a bloated and overly obstructive bureaucracy that he acknowledged often irritated entrepreneurs and ordinary people.

Li Keqiang said that during the term of the new government led by Xi Jinping and members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, the construction of new government buildings and venues will be suspended and expenditures on public-funded car purchases, public-funded receptions and public-funded tourism will be reduced. He warned that in order to increase social welfare expenditures, the large number of personnel supported by the government's finances will be reduced.

When answering a question from a reporter from Singapore's Lianhe Zaobao, Li Keqiang said, "Reform is about limiting the power of the government. This is power reduction and self-revolution. It will be very painful and even feel like cutting your wrists." The TV station broadcast the meeting with Chinese and foreign reporters live.

Li Keqiang answered reporters' questions with a spontaneity rare among Chinese leaders, offering the public a tantalizing picture of economic and social change, including a promise to change the lives of the rural poor, the vast numbers of cash-strapped migrant workers in China's cities, and retirees worried about rising prices and unaffordable medical bills.

He acknowledged that the toxic smog that has enveloped Beijing in recent months has left him with a "heavy heart" and encouraged the news media and the public to hold him accountable if his government fails to clean up water pollution and ensure food safety.

He said, "It is not enough to be poor and backward with clear waters and green mountains, but it is not enough to have a wealthy and wealthy environment with a deteriorating environment."

Political commentator and former president of "China Reform" magazine Li Weidong said that he was "pleased to see that Li Keqiang has a correct understanding of China's problems."

Li Weidong said, "He has made many promises, which shows that he is confident, and he seems ready to take responsibility for fighting against vested interests."

Although Chinese bloggers and political analysts were heartened by Li Keqiang's speech, especially his practical and outspoken speaking style, they still pointed out that his promises lacked specific details. Li Keqiang also sidestepped discussion of political reform. Liberal intellectuals and policy advisers say China must face political reform if it wants to solve some of its most thorny problems. Instead, they said, Li Keqiang defended a modest administrative reform package approved by the Communist Party-controlled People's Congress.

Li Keqiang faces huge obstacles. Reforms that seek to increase opportunities for farmers, migrant workers, and private business owners are bound to encounter resistance from an elite group that has no interest in sharing the fruits of China's miraculous economic growth. He must also exercise authority within the constraints of a collective, consensus-oriented leadership that includes the seven-member Politburo Standing Committee, in which conservatives hold a majority.

Even Li Keqiang admitted that those who have accumulated power and wealth during China's thirty years of market economic reform pose potential obstacles to reform. He said, "It is often harder to touch the interests than the soul now."

As the top official in China's State Council, Li Keqiang is responsible for economic policy, health care and education; he has expressed a strong interest in the challenges of urbanization. In response to a reporter's question, he said that the government will provide sufficient funds to help the millions of rural residents who flock to cities every year and introduce policies to create a good development environment for them. He said, "We must also pay attention to preventing urban diseases. We cannot have high-rise buildings on one side and shantytowns on the other."

The Chinese people have high expectations for the first batch of new leaders in ten years. That expectation has been fueled by Xi Jinping, who since his promotion to Communist Party general secretary in November has repeatedly pledged to crack down on corruption and shift the focus of China's economic growth toward domestic consumption and reduce reliance on exports and infrastructure investment. However, Xi Jinping has also caused some unease, especially among China's neighbors. His emphasis on strengthening China's military strength and promoting "the great rejuvenation of a nation" has been interpreted by some as a hint that China will adopt a more assertive foreign policy.

Earlier on Sunday, Xi Jinping once again touched on the theme of the "Chinese Dream" in his inauguration speech as president, emphasizing the greatness of Chinese civilization in a nationalist tone, saying, "Patriotism has always been the spiritual force that strongly unites the Chinese nation." "

Although both men are unabashedly loyal to the Communist Party, reform supporters have high hopes for Li Keqiang, 57, who earned a bachelor's degree in law and a doctorate in economics from Peking University, making him one of the most highly educated among Chinese leaders. Unlike Xi Jinping, a so-called princeling whose father is a Communist Party veteran, Li Keqiang comes from a humble background.

State media have cultivated an image of Li Keqiang as a simple, modernist leader. Commentators have noted that unlike his predecessor Wen Jiabao, who liked to pepper his speeches with classical Chinese poetry, Li Keqiang appears to use no speech scripts and gestures in the air to emphasize key points.

Nonetheless, this press conference is not an event where one can freely attend and ask impromptu questions. Reporters' questions were vetted in advance, and because The New York Times had published stories about the Wen family's wealth, reporters from the newspaper were not invited to the reception.

When asked about the Chinese government's role in cyberattacks targeting the United States, Li Keqiang used the Communist Party's standard retort, saying that China was also a frequent target of hackers and that the United States should stop making "unfounded" accusations.

> Andrew Jacobs is a Beijing correspondent for The New York Times. Chris Buckley contributed reporting to this article. Mia Li contributed research to this article.

Translation: Zhang Wei