The year 2005 is not only a year of reform, but a year of "fight a nut-cracking battle" in reform, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said at a press conference Monday.

To remove the unhealthy and destabilizing factors in the economy and strengthen the achievements of macroregulation hinges on reform, he said.

To solve the deeply-rooted "contradictions and problems" in the economic development, adjust the industrial structure and change the patterns of economic growth relies on reform, the premier said.

Wen said that to realize social fairness and justice and build a harmonious society also needs reform.

China's reform cannot be done in just one year, but is a long-term target. It would be better to solve some problems at an earlier date, or they will be accumulated to a level hard to solve, Wen warned.

The premier set five tasks for reform this year:

-- To restructure government bodies and change government functions;

-- To promote the reform of state-owned enterprises, focusing on building corporate governance and joint-stock reform;

-- To push forward financial reform. We need to exert great efforts for the reform since the finance is an "very important and problematic" part in the economy;

-- To push forward rural reform focusing on the reform of tax and fees administration; and,

-- To advance social security reform.