The 2021 National People's Congress in Beijing started as scheduled. It is the 100th anniversary of the founding of the CPC and a crucial year for the start of the 14th Five-Year Plan, which remarks the new journey of building a comprehensive socialist modern China. Listening to and studying the government work report delivered by Premier Li Keqiang on the morning of March 5 was inspiring, motivating and promising. The comprehensive coverage, rich content and strong protection of people's livelihood and well-being policies reflect the thinking and purpose of the Party Central Committee and the State Council, which always put the people at the centre.
Firstly, development is always the greatest welfare of people's livelihood. Looking back on the past year and the 13th Five-Year Plan period, the successful implementation of the post-pandemic economic recovery policy and the successful conclusion of the battle against poverty show that the concept of development to respond to people's livelihoods, safeguard their well-being and continuously improve them has been a great success. A series of targets and tasks set in this year's government work report, such as maintaining a GDP growth rate of over 6%, adding more than 11 million new jobs in urban areas and keeping the urban unemployment rate within 5.5%, as well as ensuring that expenditure on basic livelihoods is only increased and not reduced, increasing support for the preservation of employment and the livelihoods of market players, and developing science and technology for people's livelihoods, such as research and development in disease prevention and treatment, all continue to adhere to and deepen the concept that development is the greatest welfare for people's livelihoods. The concept of development is the greatest welfare of the people.
Second, the strategic base for development is anchored on the needs of people's livelihoods. Against the backdrop of a complex and volatile international situation, the continuous improvement of the domestic market development and the potential of domestic demand to be fully tapped, the Party Central Committee has proposed to build a new development pattern with a major domestic circulation and a dual domestic and international circulation to promote mutually. It is both a viable path to achieve high-quality development of our economy and a proactive choice to enhance people's well-being. The demand for people's livelihoods involves many elements and aspects of economic development and has a strong momentum and huge potential. The government's working report identifies the role of people's demand as a "strategic base" in the domestic circulation, emphasising the need to fully exploit the potential of the domestic market through the continuous satisfaction of people's demand and its expansion, and to help achieve the main objective of the domestic circulation.
Thirdly, to promote and improve people's well-being through multiple channels. The people's livelihood is no small matter, the root cause will always be concerned. Meeting the growing needs of the people for a better life is the starting and ending point of all the work of the Party and the government. This year's government work report makes a series of arrangements around the people' s vital interests, including: A housing policy that upholds the positioning of "housing without speculation" and the renovation of 53,000 old communities; Increase the financial subsidies for residents' health insurance and basic public health service funding, and gradually include outpatient expenses in the reimbursement of the Coordinated Fund's medical protection policy; Improving the quality of rehabilitation services for people with disabilities, improving measures for orphans, and promoting social welfare policies such as intelligent ageing-care in the Internet era; Policies on educational equity that promote quality and balanced development of compulsory education and ensure that every child has the opportunity to excel in life, etc.
We are fully confident that under the strong leadership of the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, and with the joint efforts of all nationalities, the "big blueprint" for national development, which incorporates the "small goals" of the people, will be able to reach a great start!