China's Policies Turn To Highlight Common People

China's policies turn to highlight common people

www.chinaview.cn 2005-03-04 21:57:57



    by Xinhua Writer Wei Wu     

    BEIJING, March 4 (Xinhuanet) -- For Tian Ping, a female from central China's Henan province, one of the stories she most wants to tell her now two-year-old baby when he grew up is about the Spring Festival eve in 2005. In the story, the grandpa who held him in arms is the premier of China.

    Undoubtedly, Wen's visit to Tian's family on that eve, which was broadcast nationwide, had not only warmed the hearts of millions from the lowest levels of the Chinese society, but also draw closer the distance between the nation's leaders and the common people.

    "I would consider that what the premier held in his arms is thekids from millions of poor families." said Zhao Yang, a farmer from the Qixian county of Henan, "At that moment, we felt as if the State leaders were just beside us."

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To date, 26 of all of China's 31 provincial-level governments have exempted rural taxes and hence some more than 730 million Chinese farmers are expected to bid farewell to their "rural taxes" history.

    In 2004, the country's some 900 million farmers realized their largest income growth in seven years. At the same time, a nationwide campaign helped migrant workers get some 33.1 billion yuan worth of back pay.

    "It's the government's unswerving stance that made it possible for the migrant workers to do that." said Wei, "What they get, to some degree, is not only money, but also justice and fairness."

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"Following the leaders' examples, local governments have also shifted more and more efforts to help solve problems concerning the interests of the common people, especially the weak groups." said Wei Haixia, a student from the China's Central Party School.

    According to China's thousands-year-old governance concept, thecommon people should be put at places more important than State leaders, which had helped the country embraced dozens of prosperous periods in its history.

    And now, China is re-promoting the ancient concept in the Chinese society and among government officials of different levels.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2005-03/04/content_2650926.htm

The right to strike, right to post posters and speak freely should be put back in the constitution--it was taken out in 1979 at Deng's request.

but their access to the 'Net is so restricted they're having some problems getting the info :+