Chinese President Hu Jintao Saturday made a statement on China's "clear goal" for the first 20 years of this century at the opening session of the Boao Forum for Asia underway in the southern China province of Hainan. He also said China's development contributes to cooperation, peace and stability in Asia.

China's blueprint

In building a well-off society of a higher standard in an all-round way for the benefit of well over 1 billion Chinese people, Hu said, China will quadruple its 2000 gross domestic product (GDP)to 4 trillion US dollars with a per capita GDP of 3,000 US dollars,further develop the economy, improve democracy, advance science and education, enrich culture, foster greater social harmony and upgrade the texture of life for the people.

To achieve this goal, the country will continue to follow the guidance of Deng Xiaoping Theory and the important thoughts of "Three Represents" and conscientiously act, in an all-round way, onthe concept of people-oriented, comprehensive, coordinated and sustainable development.

This scientific concept of development crystallizes the successful experience of China's reform, opening-up and modernization drive in the past 25 years and that of other countries in their course of development, and reflects a new understanding of the issue of development by the Chinese government and people.

"We will take economic development as our top priority, aim ourselves to the all-round development of man, and follow a development path characterized by high productivity, affluent lifeand sound eco-system by properly balancing urban and rural development, development among regions, economic and social development, development of man and nature, and domestic development and opening to the outside world," the president said. At the same time, China will continue to push vigorously its reform and opening-up program, concentrating on building and perfecting our socialist market economy and making it more dynamic and more open to the outside world.

"Taking the initiative in our own hands with independence and self-reliance in development is an important experience of ours. We persevere in reform, because we need to remove the institutional barriers that impede the development of productive forces and unleash the dynamism that exist in our society for development and creativity."

"In so doing, we mainly rely on institutional and technologica linnovation, on expanding domestic demand and on increasing the professional aptitude of our citizens. In the meantime, we firmly stick to our opening-up policy, taking an active part in international economic and technology cooperation, and making contribution to China's own development and the common developmentin the world."

"On our road to progress, we are still encountering the multitude of contradictions and problems, and the various risks and challenges. However, the Chinese people have the confidence and the capability to overcome all kinds of hardships and difficulties and make China's modernization and great rejuvenationa reality," Hu said.

China needs long, uphill battle for modernization

Hu Jintao said that it still needs a long and uphill battle to make China's modernization program a success and deliver a prosperous life for all the Chinese people.

The president said that in the past 25 years, while pressing ahead with reform and opening up, China has put initially in place a socialist market economy, an economy that is open to the outside world.

China's productive forces and overall national strength have been constantly enhanced. With various social undertakings developing in full swing, the Chinese people as a whole have made the historical leap from subsistence to modest prosperity.

In the course of 25 years between 1978 and 2003, he said, China's economy grew by an average annual rate of 9.4 percent, with its GDP, foreign trade and foreign exchange reserves jumping from 147.3 billion US dollars, 20.6 billion US dollars and 167 million US dollars to over 1.4 trillion US dollars, 851.2 billion US dollars and 403.3 billion US dollars respectively. China now is the world's sixth largest economy and the fourth largest trader.

"The reason why China has produced such tremendous changes is because we have adhered to the road of building socialism with Chinese characteristics and persevered in reform and opening-up, thus galvanizing the Chinese people's initiative, enthusiasm and creativity," Hu said.

Though China has achieved impressive results in its development,there are still many acute problems, such as overpopulation, weak economic foundation, underdeveloped productivity, highly uneven development, and a fairly sharp contradiction between the country's ecological environment and natural resources on the one hand and its economic and social development on the other. China's per capita GDP, though reaching the record high of 1,000 US dollars last year, still ranks behind the 100th place in the world.

"To make China's modernization program a success and deliver a prosperous life for all the Chinese people still requires a long and uphill battle," he said.

As Asia seeks common prosperity,China's development offers opportunities for neighbors

"China's development cannot be achieved in isolation of Asia, and Asia's prosperity also needs China," said Chinese President Hu Jintao.

"A developing China generates important opportunities for Asia," Hu told the audience.

"China has, and will continue to make a positive impact on Asiain the area of development," said Hu. "With China's development, the size of its market and its overseas investment will grow even larger and still more Chinese will travel to the other parts of Asia for sightseeing, business and visit."

"China's economy will integrate still more closely with the Asian economy, giving rise to a new type of partnership characterized by mutual benefit, mutual complement and mutual assistance," he added.

The steady development of the Boao forum has demonstrated the "fervent desire" of the Asian people for a win-win scenario throughcloser cooperation, said Hu in his speech.

China's development injects fresh vigor to regional cooperation in Asia

China has been extensively involved in the various mechanisms of Asia-based regional cooperation, emphasizing its cooperation and coordination with all the parties and promoting regional economic integration, Hu said.

China has joined the fellow Asian countries in discussing the possibility of free trade areas, conducting various forms of security dialogues and cementing cooperation on the bilateral level while promoting regional cooperation, he said.

China's development contributes to peace and stability in Asia

China's development contributes to peace and stability in Asia and a stable and prosperous China is in itself an important contribution to peace and stability in the continent, Chinese President Hu Jintao said.

China since ancient times has had a fine tradition of sincerity, benevolence, kindness and trust toward its neighbors, Hu said.

The very purpose of China's foreign policy is to maintain worldpeace and promote common development, and China always practices what it preaches.

"Persisting in building good-neighborly relationships and partnership with the neighboring countries, we pursue a policy of bringing harmony, security and prosperity to neighbors and dedicate ourselves to strengthening mutual trust and cooperation with the fellow Asian countries, easing up hot spot tensions, and striving to maintain peace and tranquility in Asia," the president said.

By People's Daily Online