Chinese premier stresses keeping employment stable, logistics smooth

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Wednesday called for solid efforts to ensure stable employment and economic performance.

Chairing a State Council executive meeting, Li also stressed clearing obstacles to coordinate smooth logistics with epidemic control.

The meeting noted that keeping employment stable is a key underpinning for keeping major economic indicators within an appropriate range, and urged measures to help companies resume production, especially those vital to supply chains and providers of logistics services and anti-COVID supplies.

China will strive to support market entities in retaining their staff, the meeting stated, with the policy to postpone payments of certain insurance premiums extended to all virus-hit small, micro and medium firms and individually-owned businesses.

Efforts will be made to create more jobs, such as through encouraging entrepreneurship. The country will offer subsidies to firms granting college graduates internship posts and initiate a series of infrastructure projects in rural areas to boost employment for migrant workers.

Employment services will be improved to help college graduates assume their positions, said the meeting. Authorities will work out other supportive measures like deferring repayments on student loans and provide temporary allowances for the unemployed.

The meeting also demanded efforts from governments at all levels to ensure the completion of annual job-creation goals.

On smoothing out transport and logistics amid COVID-19 control, the meeting stressed efforts to ensure the efficient operation of the country's basic transport networks.

It said that highway poll stations and service areas should remain open to the public, while delivery companies will be encouraged to increase operation capacity.

The country should step up support for the resumption of operations by delivery service stations that have been disrupted by the epidemic, and ensure the smooth transport of farm produce, according to the meeting.

Logistics in key areas will be ensured, as will the transportation of daily necessities, vital products in supply chains and foreign-trade goods, the meeting noted.

The country will also ramp up support to freight transportation firms through measures like exempting value-added tax on eligible income from express delivery services and rolling out a re-lending facility for the transportation and warehousing sectors.

Travel permits for vehicles accepted nationwide will be issued in a speedy manner, while truck drivers should be given free COVID-19 testing along their routes.