Economy sees more uncertain factors, but still has potential: Premier

BEIJING—Chinese economy is witnessing more uncertain factors but still has potential for further development, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said here Tuesday.
“Currently, new changes are taking place in the world and domestic economic situations and uncertain factors are on the rise, bringing great difficulties for us to correctly judge the trend of economic development and make scientific decisions,” said Wen while joining a panel discussion during the ongoing annual session of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), the country’s top political advisory body, which opened here on Monday.
But Wen also said that China, as a country with a big population and vast market, still enjoys a huge potential for expanding domestic demand, readjusting economic structure, encouraging innovation and improving people’s livelihood, because it has accumulated strong material and technological wealth after three decades of reform and opening up.
“There is still room for further economic development,” Wen told a group of political advisors from the circles of economy and agriculture. “Those are all favorable conditions for us to do a good job in this year’s economic work,” Wen said. The premier said that China needs to maintain consistent and stable policies and pay great attention to new circumstances and new issues while making decisions for economy. “We should make comprehensive and correct judgment, adopt corresponding measures timely and flexibly, and adjust the pace, focus and strength in macro-control to promote a sound and rapid economic development,” he added. Also on Tuesday, senior state and Party leaders Wu Bangguo, JiaQinglin, Li Changchun, Xi Jinping, Li Keqiang, He Guoqiang and Zhou Yongkang joined different panel discussions at the CPPCC session.

—Xinhua