万事民为先(英文稿)

Profile:LiKeqiang:Amanwhoputspeoplefirst

HiStoughnessinadvancingcomplexreforms,aswellashissocialwarmthandscholarlytemperamenthavemadehimamajorfigureinChina'spoliticalarena.

Callingreform"thebiggestdividendforChina,"VicePremierLiKeqianghasuseddifferentoccasionstofacilitatereformssincebeingre-electedinmid-NovemberasamemberoftheStandingCommitteeofthePoliticalBureauoftheCommunistPartyofChina(CPC)CentralCommittee。

"Reformislikerowingupstream.Failingtoadvancemeansfallingback,"hesaidatasymposiumonadvancingcomprehensivereforms。

"Thosewhorefusetoreformmaynotmakemistakes,buttheywillbeblamedfornotassumingtheirhistoricalresponsibility,"hesaid。

China'snewwaveofreformhasbegunwithcurbingbureaucracyinmeetings.Whenpresidingovermeetings,Liforbidsofficialstoreadpreparedspeeches,encouragesthemtotakethefloorfreelyandasksincisiveandpersistentquestionstogettothebottomofmatters。

InameetingonChina'sHrV/AIDSpreventionandtreatment,heencouragedrepresentativesfromnongovernmentalorganizationstotalkmoreabouttheirproblems,eventhoughthisdelayedhisappointmentwithotherofficials。

LihasalsoemphasizedthatonlyreformcanimproveChinesepeople'slivingstandardsandthatfuturereformsmustensureequalrightsandopportunitiesforthepeopleandensurethateverybodyadherestotherules0

FromsecretaryofavillageCPCbranchtomemberoftheCPC'shighestleadingbody,Li,57,hascontinuouslymaintainedadown-to-earthworkstyleandtheprincipleofputtingpeoplefirstoHiscurriculumvitaereflectshisrichgovernanceexperience.LiservedassecretaryoftheCommunistYouthLeagueofChina(CYLC)committeeofPekingUniversity.HewasamemberoftheSecretariatoftheCYLCCentralCommitteeandthePartychiefofHenanandLiaoningprovinces。

Confident,smartandeloquentinpublic,Liisfrank,amiable,resoluteandresponsibleatwork,accordingtohisacquaintanceso

After10yearsofstudyatPekingUniversity,Liearnedabachelor'sdegreeinlawandmaster'sanddoctoratedegreesineconomics.HehasexcelledinChina'sofficialdomduetohisacademicaccomplishmentsandinternationalperspectiveo

LifirstjoinedthehighestleadingbodyoftheCPCfiveyearsagoatthefirstPlenarySessionofthe17thCPCCentralCommittee.Afewmonthslater,hebecameChina'syoungestvicepremierinnearly20years。

TENACIOUSREFORMER

Lihasgarneredmuchattentionbytacklingcomplexreformsoverthepastfiveyears,duringwhichtimeChinahasfacedmultiplechallenges,includingthedeadlyWenchuanearthquakeandtheinternationalfinancialcrisis。

Macroeconomicadjustmentwasthefirstchallengethevicepremierhadtofacein2008.

Whentherewasnoagreementonaproperwaytomanagetherepercussionsoftheinternationalfinancialcrisis,LiaskedtheStateCouncil'sfiscalandeconomicplanningdepartmentstoadoptaproactivefiscalpolicywiththepreconditionofkeepingthedeficitbelow3percento

ThedecisiongavetheChineseeconomyaboostthatwasstrongenoughtoavoidcomplicationssuchasthesovereigndebtcrisisinEuropeandthe"fiscalcliff"intheUnitedStateso

Lialsochairedmorethan40meetingstodeliberateonandmakearrangementsforanaffordablehousingprogramfortheneedy,whichisthebiggestofitskindinChinaandhashelpedboostdomesticconsumptionamidaslowingworldeconomy0

Overthepastfewyears,China'sfiscalspendingonaffordablehousingconstructionhasreachedarecordhigh.With17milliongovernment-subsidizedapartmentsalreadybuilt,nearly100millionChinesehavemovedintocomfortable,high-qualityhomes,andanother13millionapartmentsarecurrentlyunderconstructionorbeingrenovatedo

AnotherreformthathasthrustLiintoawideningspotlightrelatestomedicalandhealthcareservices,aworldwidechallengeo

AfterLitookoverasheadoftheStateCouncil'sleadinggroupformedicalandhealthcarereform,thecountryquicklysetagoalofturningmedicalandhealthcareintoabasicpublicserviceaccessibletoall,takingaprogressiveapproachtoprioritizingthebasicneedsofthepeopleandtheneedforinstitutionalimprovemento

Thecentralgovernmenthasissued14documentstoinspirelocalexperimentssince2009.Allrelevanttasksarebeingimplementedefficientlyo

Underthisregimen,thegovernmenthasbuilttheworld'slargestmedicalcaresysteminmorethanthreeyears,effectivelyeasingpublicconcerninthisarea。

U.S.scholarRobertLawrenceKuhnsaidheconsidersthisreformtobethegreatestachievementChinahasscoredinthepastdecadeo

MargaretChan,director-generaloftheWorldHealthOrganization,hascalledtheachievementhard-wono

JohnLangenbrunner,theWorldBank'schiefhealtheconomist,describedtheresultsachievedbythereformsasunprecedentedo

Liwasalsocreditedwithseizingtheopportunitypresentedbythe2008financialcrisistopropelcomplexfueltaxreformsinvolvingmultiplestakeholderso

Theinitiativehashelpedeliminateredundantfuelfees,inspiredenergyconservationandemissionreduction,improvedtherefinedoilpricingsystemandaccumulatedexperienceforfuturereformso

Thisyear,Liwenttogreatlengthstotackleanotherbottleneckintaxreform.Heconductedfieldsurveysandledrelevantdepartmentstoinstitutereformplansthatreplaceturnovertaxeswithvalue-addedtaxes.AfterShanghaispearheadedapilotprogram,thetaxburdensofthelocalserviceindustryandsmallenterpriseshavebeenlargelyeasedo

Apreludetothemuch-expectedstructuraltaxcut,thepilotprogramhasnowbeenexpandedtonineprovincesandmunicipalitiesasasignificantinstitutionalinnovationforfacilitatingeconomicrestructuring,boostingeconomicgrowthandimprovingpeople'slivingstandardso

LialsoledtheformulationofChina's12thFive-YearPlan(2011-2015),whichprovidesbothoverallguidanceforthecountry'sfuturedevelopmentandspecificguidanceinnearly100areasoAlthoughLiwasfamiliarwithChina'sagriculturalandindustrialdevelopmentasheadofHenanandLiaoningprovinces,hehasgainedabroaderunderstandingofChina'snationalcircumstancesafterbeingputinchargeofdevelopmentandreform,fiscalaffairs,urban-ruralconstruction,environmentalprotection,landandresourcesandpublichealthfortheStateCouncilo

HeknowsChina'spotentialineconomicandsocialdevelopmentaswellastheopportunitiesandchallengesthecountryisfacingo

Toformulateasoundplan,Liconductedfieldsurveysinanumberofplacesandgovernmental

departments,solicitedopinionsfromlower-levelofficials,industrialexpertsandentrepreneursandpresidedoversymposiumstobrainstormplansconcerningthetertiaryandenergyindustries。In-depthresearchwascarriedoutformorethantwoyearsonsignificantissues,suchasexpandingdomesticconsumptioninasustainablemanner,narrowingtheurban-ruralgap,designinganurbanizationpathandsteadilyimprovingpeople'slivingstandards0

U.S.economistMichaelSpence,aNobellaureate, saidthe12thFive-YearPlanisvery

complicatedbutclear.ItseffectiveimplementationwillturnChinaintothemostsignificantplayerintransformingeconomicgrowthpatternsandrebalancingtheworldeconomy, henoted0

JosephStiglitz,alsoaNobellaureate,saidthedevelopmentplanchartsthedirectionofChina'seconomicrestructuring,withChina'scentraltaskbeingtoopenupandbetterintegratewiththeoutsideworldo

Newresponsibilitiesandopportunitieswillaboundandthecountrywillbemoreinvolvedinreshapingtheworldeconomicorder,hesaido

MartinFeldstein, aprofessorofeconomicsatHarvardUniversity,notedtheplan'simportant

implicationsfortheglobaleconomy."ItskeyfeatureistoshiftofficialpolicyfrommaximizingGDPgrowthtowardraisingconsumptionandaverageworkers'standardofliving,"henoted0Knownasatoughtroubleshooter,LihasregularlyappearedwherehehasbeenneededmostoWhenfoodsafetyscarescroppedupin2010,LiwasaskedtoheadtheStateCouncil'sfoodsafetycommission,orchestratingmultisectorcooperationo

"Foodsafetyconcernseveryfamilyandeachperson.Givingfoodsafetyoffendersaknock-outblowisamust,"Listressedo

Byincludingfoodsafetyintheperformanceassessmentsystemforlocalgovernments,aswellascrackingdownonoffenders, Chinahasbeguntoseeprogressincurbingfoodsafetyscandalso

Inearly2009, theworldwascaughtoff-guardbyanewinfluenzaAvirus, withtheWorld

HealthOrganizationissuingitshighestinfluenzapandemicalerto

NotlongafteritsoutbreakinNorthAmerica,theviruswastransmittedtoChina,throwingtheChineseintoapanicreminiscentoftheSevereAcuteRespiratorySyndrome(SARS)epidemicin2003.

Lidecisivelyimplementedjointpreventionbyallrelevantdepartmentsandurgedthequickdevelopmentofvaccines,whichstoppedthespreadofthevirusandminimizeditsimpactonChina。

Thistriumphhasbeenlaudedasanexemplaryemergencyresponsetoasuddenpublichealthincidento

AsChina'scurrentreformsinvolveamorecomplicatedproblemofinterests,analystssayknowledgeandabroadhorizonareasimportantinChineseleadersascourageandresources。

PEOPLEFIRST

Li'stenacityanddecisivenesswereshapedbyhisearlydays。

InMarch1974,whenChinawasbeingravagedbytheCulturalRevolution,19-year-oldLiwasdispatchedtoFengyang,apoverty-strickencountyineastChina'sAnhuiProvince,totakeupfarming。

Itwastherehecametounderstandpovertyandstarvationo

Hetilledthelandduringthedayandreadbooksatnight.AdmiringLi'sspiritandhiscapacitytoendurehardship,membersofDonglingBrigade,DamiaoCommune,chosehimasPartychiefo"Hewasalwaysthefirsttowork,self-disciplined,downtoearthandkind.AsPartysecretary,

henevermadepeoplesuffer,harmednooneandbulliednoone,"villagersrecalled。

Whenthecountryresumedcollegeentranceexaminationin1977,LitooktheexamandwasacceptedbytheLawSchoolofPekingUniversity.Soon,hewaselectedchiefoftheuniversity'sStudentUnion.Upongraduationin1982,heremainedatPekingUniversitytoheaditsCYLCcommitteeo

Threeyearslater,the30-year-oldwaschosenasamemberoftheSecretariatoftheCentralCommitteeoftheCYLC,anorganizationofadvancedyoungpeopleundertheleadershipoftheCPCo

WhileworkingwiththeCYLCCentralCommittee,LidevotedhissparetimetostudyingtheChineseeconomy.Hisdoctoraldissertation,"OntheTri-structureofChina'sEconomy,"wonhimtheSunYefangPrize,thetophonorforeconomicsciencesontheChinesemainlandoDuringhistenureattheCYLCCentralCommittee,hechosethesiteforthecountry'sfirstprimaryschoolofProjectHopeinJinzhaiCounty,eastChina'sAnhuiProvince.ProjectHope,co-launchedbytheCYLCCentralCommittee,isacharitydedicatedtohelpingchildreninpoverty-strickenareasaccesseducationo

HesaidhehopedtheHopeSchoolcouldbringhopetochildrenintheCPC'srevolutionarybasesoThemoveinspiredotherphilanthropicactions,suchasYouthVolunteerso

WhenLileftBeijingforHenanProvinceinJune1998,hesetarecordbybecomingthecountry'syoungestgovernorwithadoctoraldegreeo

Insevenyears,LiavoidedunnecessarysocialactivitiesanddevotedhimselftosolvingproblemsconcerningHenan'sdevelopment.Giventhattheprovincehadlearnedabitterlessonfrompomposity,Liinstructedlocalofficialstokeepalowprofile,saylittleanddomuchoBreakingHenan'sstereotypicalimageasanagriculturalprovince,Lipursuedindustrialization,urbanizationandagriculturalmodernization.In2003,heformallyproposedtheconceptof"theriseoftheCentralPlains"andputitintopracticeinHenano

TheCentralPlainsrefertoregionscomprisingthemiddleandlowerreachesoftheYellowRiver,includingHenan,Hebei,ShandongandShanxiprovinceso

HisproposalandpracticesbecameaprototypefortheriseofcentralChina,whichishometoone-fourthofChina'spopulationandaccountsforone-fifthofthecountry'seconomicoutputoApartfromconsolidatingHenan'sadvantagesasChina'sgranary,Lifacilitatedtheupgradeoflocalindustriestoextendtheprovince'sindustrialchain.HealsoproposedtheconstructionofanindustrialcorridorlinkingtheprovincialcapitalofZhengzhouwiththecitiesofKaifengandLuoyang, alongwhichanumberofpillarindustriesandconglomerateshavebeenformedo

Heurgedlocalgovernmentofficialstointroducecapital,technology,experts,advancedmanagementexperienceandmechanismsfromeasterncoastalprovinces,whichhavebeenintheforefrontofChina'seconomicexpansion,aswellasstrengthencooperationwithwesternprovincestoseizebiggermarketshareo

Usingsuchtactics,LifiguredouthowtoshiftHenanfromanagriculturalprovincetoanemergingindustrialprovinceo

Lialsofacilitatedtheprovince'surbanizationbyincubatingcityclustersintheCentralPlainsasnewgrowthpointso

HecarriedoutanurbanizationexperimentthroughthedevelopmentoftheZhengdongNewDistricto

Insteadofasprawlingareabasedonanoldtownrelyingonasingleindustry,thenewdistrictis

anenergy-efficientandlivableplacewithfinance,upscalecommerce,logisticsandtourismasitspillarindustries。

Forsevenyears,Henanmaintainedagrowthrate1.63percentagepointshigherthanthenationalaverage.Theprovinceclimbedfrom20thto17thinnationalpercapitaGDPranking,anditsoverallGDPrankedasthecountry'sfifthlargestandthefirstamongwesternandcentralregions0Butmorecomplicatedchallengesfollowedo

Aftermorethan10yearsoflatency,HIVbrokeoutinanumberofplacesinHenan,aggravatingtheprovince'svulnerabilitytoHIV/AIDS。

Livisitedtheworst-hitvillagestoseepatients,surveyingthedifficultiestheyfacedandstayingontopofthesituation.GaoYaojie,aretireddoctorandAIDSactivist,wasinvitedtohisofficetoreportonthesituationo

WhenheservedasPartychiefoftheprovincein2002,LiimmediatelyputHIV/AIDSpreventionandtreatmentatthetopoftheagendao

InHenan,heoversawthecountry'SfirstprovincialcensusonHIV/AIDS。

Atotalof38hard-hitvillagesreceivedassistancedirectlyfromprovincialgovernmentaldepartments。

ToensurethatHIVandAIDSpatientscouldlivedecentlives,heinstitutedapolicythatprovidedthemshelter,food,clothingandbasicmedicalinsurance.Thosewhocontractedthedeadlydiseasefromsellingbloodontheblackmarketcouldreceivefreetreatment,freephysicalexamsandfreeservicestocontrolmaternal-infanttransmissionofthevirus.Orphans,aswellaschildrenofthosewithHIV/AIDS,couldgotoschoolfreeofchargeo

By2004,theHIVoutbreakhadbeencontained.YinYinNwe,thenrepresentativeoftheUnitedNationsChildren'sFundforChina,saidHenanisamodelbothforChinaandtheworldanditsexperienceisworthbeingpopularizedo

WhenLiwaselevatedtothecentralgovernment, hewasthechiefoftheStateCouncil'sAIDS

preventioncommissionandmadeeffortstobringsocialforcesintoplay。

HevisitednongovernmentalorganizationstotalkwithvolunteersandHIV/AIDSpatientstoencouragethemtoplayabiggeraroleinHIV/AIDSpreventiono

InacongratulatorylettersenttoLionhisre-electionasmemberoftheStandingCommitteeofthePoliticalBureauoftheCPCCentralCommitteeinNovemberthisyear,UNAIDSExecutiveDirectorMichelSidiberecognizedtheprogressChinahasachievedinAIDSpreventionandthankedLiforhisleadershipinthisregardo

WhenLiwastransferredtonortheastChina'sLiaoningProvincein2004, hefacedadifferent

challenge。

There,Liwasstunnedtolearnthatnearlyathousandpeopleinonetownweresharingonetoileto"Thegovernmentwillnothesitatetospendeverythingtohelpyoumoveoutofslums,"Livowedo

InMarch2005,arenovationplanwasreleased.Withinthreeyears, 1.2millionresidentshad

movedintonewapartmentsandtheshantytownshadbeenrelegatedtohistoryo

Duringtheshantytownrenovation,Lirepeatedlyemphasizedtheneedto"putthepeoplefirst,"whichlaterevolvedintotheessenceofhisgovernancephilosophyo

Apartfromhousingupgrades,Lialsoexploredwaystotapnewgrowthpointsfortheoldindustrialbase。

Hecapitalizedonthecentralgovernment'sNortheasternChinaRejuvenationPlanandthenational

policyoffurtheropeningUPthecountry'seastcoasttodevelopLiaoning'scoastalareas.Inthisway,heworkedtooffsettheprovince'sdisadvantagesstemmingfromitsrelianceonheavyindustrialmanufacturingforgrowth0

In2009,theprovince'scoastaleconomicbeltdesignedbyLibecameanationalstrategyandplayedakeyroleintherejuvenationofthenortheasternindustrialbase。

SCHOLARLYTEMPERAMENT

Bornin1955ineastChina'sAnhuiProvince,Lispenthisformativeyearsstudyingsinology,orChineselanguageandculture,fromLiCheng,amasterofChineseculturewiththeAnhuiProvincialResearchInstituteofCulturalHistory。

Thisrareexperience,combinedwithhislatereducationatPekingUniversity,turnedhimintoalearned,eloquentpersonwithaquickwit。

"Icameherenotonlyforknowledge,butalsotocultivatemytemperamentandfosteralearningstyle,"LioncewroteinanessaytoexplainhisloveofPekingUniversity。

InAugust2011,hegaveaspeechinbothChineseandEnglishattheUniversityofHongKong,impressingparticipantswithhisscholarlytemperament,discretionandfriendliness0

Theeruditeleaderhasalsoshownenthusiasmandopen-mindednessinforeignaffairs.Earlylastyear,hevisitedSpain, GermanyandBritain,attending46activitiesinninedays。

HecontributedsignedarticlestoinfluentialmediaineachhostcountrytoexplainChina'sdevelopmentandconductedin-depthexchangeswithforeignstatesmentofacilitateSino-Europeancooperationo

InOctober2011,LiledadelegationtotheDemocraticPeople'sRepublicofKoreaandtheRepublicofKoreatoeasetensionsontheKoreanPeninsulao

ItwasthefirsttimeaChineseleaderhadvisitedthetwocountriesback-to-back, aswellasa

significantdiplomaticmaneuvertakenbyChinatofacilitatepeaceinnortheastAsia。

DuringhisApriltriptoEurope,whichincludedstopsinRussia,Hungary,BelgiumandtheEUheadquartersinBrussels,Ligavespeeches,attendedeconomicactivitiesandconductedexchangeswithforeignstatesmeno

AtthefirstEU-ChinaUrbanizationPartnershipHigh-LevelConference,LiandPresidentoftheEurope