Top News

Premier Wen shares vision for China's future

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2011-06-28 05:13

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao delivers a speech titled "The Path to China's Future" at Britain's renowned Royal Society in London on Monday. [Photo/Xinhua]

LONDON - "China will embrace an even brighter future," visiting Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said here on Monday when elaborating his vision for China's future.

"Tomorrow's China will be an economically advanced country with its people enjoying prosperity," Wen said in a speech titled "The Path to China's Future" at Britain's renowned Royal Society.

Full text of Wen's speech

To pursue economic development and improve people's lives has always been the top priority of the Chinese government, he said.

"We will stick to scientific development, work hard to shift the model of economic development and achieve green, low-carbon and sustainable development," he noted.

He also said that the Chinese government will expand domestic demand; redouble efforts to improve public welfare, create jobs, and develop education, health and other social programs on a priority basis; deepen the reform of income distribution; and ensure that China's development achievements will be shared by the Chinese people of all ethnic groups.

"Science and technology hold the key to China's economic prosperity and sustainable development," Wen added.

"Tomorrow's China will be a country that fully achieves democracy, the rule of law, fairness and justice," the Chinese premier noted.

He pointed out that the best way to resolve the existing problems in China is "to firmly advance the political reform and build socialist democracy under the rule of law."

Wen also said that in the future, China will be a more open, inclusive, culturally advanced and harmonious country, and will be a country committed to peaceful development and ready to shoulder its responsibilities.

"A country or a nation will grow and progress only when it is open and inclusive. Only an open country can introduce all that is advanced and useful. And only an inclusive society can enrich and strengthen itself by drawing on the strengths of fine foreign cultures," he said.

China should not only continue to open up in economic, scientific and technological fields, but also promote cultural progress and social management through boldly learning from others, he said.

China should create a better political environment and a freer academic atmosphere, he said.

China has always called for respecting the diversity of civilizations and advocated dialogue, exchanges and cooperation among them.

Meanwhile, Wen said, the Chinese government and people have decided to pursue peaceful development in keeping with the trend of the times and based on China's own interests, noting only such a pursuit will enable China to embrace economic globalization and achieve modernization.

"China's peaceful development is an opportunity rather than a threat to the rest of the world," he stressed.

Since joining the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 2001, China has imported nearly 750 billion U.S. dollars of goods every year, creating over 14 million jobs for relevant countries and regions, he said.

China's import is expected to exceed 8 trillion dollars in the next five years, which will provide more business opportunities for other countries, he added.

In his speech, Wen recalled his previous three visits to Britain as China's premier, especially the last one in 2009, saying that he admired Britain's efforts and achievements in tackling the global financial crisis.

Wen said that Britain's advanced technologies and managerial expertise in research, higher education, financial services, public health and medical services as well as its development of low-carbon economy can well meet China's demand while China's vast market, abundant human resources and huge development potential can help boost Britain's economic recovery.

"I have every confidence in and great expectation for the future of China-UK relations," he concluded.

Wen is currently on a three-nation Europe tour, which has already taken him to Hungary and will also take him to Germany.