China issues first public services plan

BEIJING -- The State Council has issued the first national plan for China's public services, the country's top economic planning agency said Wednesday.

The government will intensify its efforts to improve basic public services and promote equal access to these services for all people during the 12th Five-Year Plan period (2011-15), the National Development and Reform Commission said.

Establishing a basic public services system will help protect the people's interests, accelerate the country's economic growth and boost domestic demand, the NDRC said.

The government will specify the range of basic public services in the plan, including public education, labor and employment services, social insurance and basic housing services.

The government will channel more social resources toward rural areas, poor regions and vulnerable social groups in order to ensure that all people have equal access to basic public services, the NDRC said.

In addition, the government will give full play to market mechanism in providing public services and encourage social forces to meet the rising demand for such services, the NDRC said.