Micro problems macro concerns in gov't report

Beijing (CNS) -- "Small and micro-sized enterprises", as well as "PM2.5", are terms that cropped up often in this year's government work report and became key words in the address made by Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao on Monday during the fifth meeting of the 11th National People's Congress.

Both terms refer to social issues that dominated public concern last year.

Mentioned seven times in the report, small and micro-sized enterprises will be targeted for specific government support, in view of the mounting challenges to businesses by employment shortages as well as the high thresholds of capital resources set by both national financial institutes and private units.

Regarding the "small and micro-sized enterprises" issue, the government is attempting to reenergize struggling businesses from five perspectives – preferential taxes, credit aids, industrial upgrading, employment support, rural development, and reform of the monetary system by establishing and encouraging small financial institutes that will serve small and micro-sized enterprises.

In terms of the airborne PM2.5 particles, Wen promised that the government is not ignoring air and environment problems and determined it won't sacrifice people's health for economic growth. Pollutant particles less than 2.5 micrometers in size, or about 1/30th the width of an average human hair, made the news in 2011 regarding whether their measurement in the capital was fully disclosed.

The report also touched on the timeline for national PM2.5 monitoring projects – they will be launched this year in all four municipalities Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin and Chongqing, all provincial capitals, the three economic areas clinging to Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou; by 2015, all cities above the prefecture level will be covered in the reporting network.