Creating more job opportunities is the key to alleviating poverty, Hong Kong's Chief Executive Tung Chee Hwa told lawmakers at the Legislative Council (LegCo) in HK Thursday.

More than 20 lawmakers questioned the chief executive in the LegCo on a wide range of matters from his 2005 policy address.

Problems of poverty and unemployment can be resolved with economic development, Tung noted. "With good economic development,a lot of livelihood issues can be resolved. The unemployment situation can be alleviated. It is my priority and indeed the administration's priority to tackle the economy," he said.

Efforts to be made, as suggested in the policy address, in terms of tourism, greening, environmental protection and municipalprojects, are all aimed to create more job opportunities so as to promote and push forward the economy, Tung said.

He told lawmakers that improving the relationship between the Executive Council and the Legislature "is the general wish of the public, and this is also the wish of my government colleagues." Improving the relationship is the prerequisite to problems being solved, he said.

On small class teaching, Tung said that a pilot project in 37 schools over the next three years should help the administration determine the best way forward, adding that "so that with actual experience gained, we can explore the best way to introduce small class teaching if it is found to work."

He also said that there would be no more cuts in education spending. "At the worst of times, our overall education expenditure wasn't slashed. Even at the worst of times, we saw a similar budget for education last year and the year before last. Education is simply too important for us," he said.

Source: Xinhua