Senior official calls for fiscal reform

Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli said on Wednesday that the country should strive for fiscal reform.

"There must be a clear roadmap and timetable for reform of the fiscal system," Zhang said at a special seminar attended by provincial and ministerial officials.

The government must "have the courage like gnawing a hard bone or wading through a dangerous shoal" in 2014 and 2015, a critical period for fiscal reform, Zhang said.

Focuses of fiscal reform include budget management, improving the taxation system and a mechanism for matching administrative power of government with financial resources, he said.

The country should improve the legal system, identify the power of governments at different levels, stabilize the tax burden and push for budget transparency, he said.