HIGHER LIVING STANDARDS
"To meet the people's desire for a happy life is our mission," President Xi Jinping vowed when he became general secretary of the CPC Central Committee in late 2012.
Despite increasing pressure from slowing economic growth, the Chinese government has spent more than 70 percent of its fiscal revenue in improving the people's lives.
During the past five years, urban unemployment rate has been kept at a low rate. The Chinese average life span has been lifted by one year, and almost all Chinese people have been covered by medical insurance.
China was the first developing country to meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) target of reducing the population living in poverty by half ahead of the 2015 deadline. The Chinese population below the poverty line has decreased by 100 million.
To improve living conditions, infrastructure and public services have been improved in rural areas. More people in poverty-stricken regions have enjoyed better houses, cheap electricity, clean water, improved medical services and education.
The central treasury allocated 480 billion yuan (about 76 billion U.S. dollars) for subsidizing people in need, and more than 32.3 million houses have been or are being built for low-income groups.
Last year, more than 100 million people traveled abroad and they spent more than one trillion yuan during their foreign travels.
REFORM, ANTI-CORRUPTION AND MORE
Reform is an important keyword for the 12th five-year period. Waves of reform have arisen since the third plenary session of the 18th CPC Central Committee in 2013, with new measures coming out targeting various sectors including administrative system, taxation, finance and state enterprises.
China built its first pilot free trade zone (FTZ) in Shanghai in 2013 as a test bed for pushing forward reforms and opening the economy wider. In the first eight months this year, a total of 1,959 foreign-funded enterprises opened in the FTZ, accounting for nearly half of the total registered in Shanghai Municipality.
The Belt and Road Initiative is bringing together countries in Asia, Europe and even Africa, with the purpose of boosting infrastructure construction, financial cooperation and cultural exchanges in those regions.
The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, a China-advocated multilateral development institution tasked with financing infrastructure construction across Asia, has been signed by 53 out of the 57 founding members as of Oct. 9.
China has advanced the cut of administrative approvals to give more say to the market. Since May 2013, the central authorities have issued more than 20 documents to encourage the public, especially the graduates, to start their own businesses, in a bid to motivate creativity.
The CPC central authorities have also prioritized eco-system protection, shifting away from the GDP-obsessed official evaluation system and urging lower governments to accelerate the building of a beautiful China
Adhering to the rule of law, China has also intensified anti-corruption efforts since the CPC's 18th National Congress and dealt with a large number of corrupt officials, including some who used to hold very high offices.
Looking forward to the coming five years, China will remain composed and focused on its own development, with the Party and the people marching hand-in-hand on the road to prosperity.
The final countdown to reaching the first Centenary Goal is coming.
