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Well equipped for storm

(China Daily)
Updated: 2009-03-06 07:42

It is all about confidence. Confidence that the projected 8 percent growth for 2009 is achievable.

And that decent growth can generate more jobs and incomes to assuage discontent.

It could not be clearer in Premier Wen Jiabao's report on government work that, economically, the government is ready to do whatever it takes to sustain growth.

The rest of this year's report on government work may appear more or less business as usual.

Except for the part on the mammoth stimulus package. The figure-savvy premier disclosed more numbers in his report than previously, showing an assuring sketch of money flow in the government's unprecedented spending spree.

Multiple surveys in the run-up to the National People's Congress (NPC) reported universal public concern about how the government will spend the money and prevent abuses. But what Premier Wen presented was only a rough outline. For further details, one has to consult the government's budget plan, which is now under scrutiny at the NPC session.

The state of our economy is not as good as it used to be. Nor is it as bad as in some far wealthier countries. Given our savings throughout the decades, especially the healthy State coffers, we have good reason to count on generous government spending to ensure growth continues.

But just as Premier Wen mentioned in his report, we are not after growth for growth's sake. It is reassuring to hear him putting investment structures side by side with sustaining rapid increases in investment. We have heard about local authorities brushing "green GDP" aside in pursuit of high growth. It would be tragic if taxpayer money is dumped into undertakings detrimental to the nation's future.

At this annual session and afterwards, NPC delegates must oblige their duties and make sure such a nightmarish scenario does not spiral into real world tragedies.

Premier Wen said government input must go to the most crucial links in coping with the crisis and the weakest links in socio-economic development.

People's livelihoods qualify for all those.

We like the idea to lower the threshold of poverty relief, to finance health care at the village level, to issue maternity benefits to rural women, to offer them regular pre- and post-natal medical examinations, and to monitor development of rural children under the age of three. We particularly appreciate his vow to build schools into the safest, and parents' most-trusted, places.

The Chinese are generally positive about their country's future. But much less so when it comes to their personal futures. We all know that underdeveloped social security and public service systems are to blame for this. Premier Wen's report is also a prescription of confidence for individual Chinese.

That's the surest way to turn the average citizen from saver into spender.

(China Daily 03/06/2009 page9)