Premier Li declares war on 'urban diseases'

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang delivers a government work report on the opening day of the third session of the 12th National People's Congress in Beijing, March 5, 2014. (Photo/china.com.cn)

The fight against "urban diseases", such as air pollution and traffic congestion, must be stepped up to improve living standards, Premier Li Keqiang said in his report on the work of the government at the opening of the annual session of the National People's Congress on Thursday.[Special coverage]

Fighting pollution continues to be a priority as the government pledged to cut energy intensity by 3.1 percent and reduce emission of major pollutants, said Li.

He made the remarks in the wake of a series of incidents, particularly involving pollution, that caused widespread concern last year.

An example was on Oct 19 when, during the Beijing Marathon, air pollution rather than the race itself became a hot topic because of heavy fog and haze on race day.

Statistics from the Ministry of Environment Protection showed that only eight of the 74 major Chinese cities under the air quality monitoring of PM2.5 met the national standard for clear air last year.

The premier pledged an upgrade of coal-burning power plants to achieve ultra-low emissions and to strive for zero-growth in the use of coal in heavily-polluted areas.

The country will promote new-energy vehicles, reduce vehicle exhaust emissions, raise national fuel quality standards and provide gasoline and diesel fuel of a higher quality.

All highly polluting vehicles registered before 2005 will be banned from the roads, he said.

Meanwhile, the government will continue improving people's living standards and promoting social development, he said.

As the number of college graduates is set to reach 7.49 million this year, the top priority will be given to employment and creation of jobs, Li said, adding that the government will also work to help people who have lost jobs, due to structural adjustments or overcapacity, to find new ones.

Basic pension for enterprise retirees will increase by 10 percent and basic monthly standard pensions, for both rural and urban residents, will be raised from 55 yuan ($ 9) to 70 yuan per person, he said.

In addition, the government will improve basic medical insurance for residents of rural and urban areas and increase the annual subsidy from 320 to 380 yuan per person.

Li also reiterated zero tolerance for corruption, vowing to build a law-based and service oriented governance of the country.