Page:2016 Report on the Work of the Government.pdf/9

 Some regions are frequently hit by severe smog. Particularly distressing, last year saw the sinking of the cruise ship Oriental Star on the Yangtze and the massive explosion in Tianjin Port. The deaths and injuries and the damage and loss of property from these incidents were devastating, and the profound lessons these incidents have taught us should never be forgotten. There are still inadequacies in the work of the government. Some reforms, policies, and measures have not been fully implemented; a small number of government employees either do not or are unable to fulfill their duties, or behave irresponsibly; and the corruption and misconduct in some sectors cannot be ignored. We must be more mindful of the difficulties ahead, more ready to assume responsibility, and more hardworking in ensuring these problems are solved. The wishes of the people should always determine the aim of our governance; we must do our utmost to deliver a strong performance in our work and never fail to live up to the great trust the people have placed in us.

Esteemed Deputies,

The period covered by the 12th Five-Year Plan came to a close in 2015. During the past five years, impressive achievements were made in China's development. Since the 18th CPC National Congress in 2012, we have found ourselves in a complicated international environment, and we have faced the challenging tasks of carrying out reform and development and maintaining stability at home. However, under the guidance of the CPC Central Committee headed by General Secretary Xi Jinping, we have continued our commitment to the general principle of making progress while working to keep performance stable, deepened reform and opening up, and adopted a series of major measures that should deliver both immediate and long-term benefits. As a result, we successfully fulfilled all the main tasks and targets set out in the 12th Five-Year Plan.

First, a high rate of economic development was maintained.

During this period, China's GDP grew at an average annual rate of 7.8%. This growth enabled China to comfortably gain its position as the world's second-largest economy, and become the largest trading nation in terms of goods as well as a major outbound investor.

Second, milestone progress was achieved in structural adjustments.

Service industries have grown to be the largest economic sector, information technology has been further integrated into industrialization, and overall agricultural production capacity has notably improved. Consumption has become a major driver of growth. Over half of China's population now resides in urban areas. Energy consumption per .unit of GDP has dropped by 18.2%, and the emissions of major pollutants have been cut by over 12%.