KUALA LUMPUR, Dec. 12 (Xinhuanet) -- Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao on Monday briefed East Asian leaders about China's current economic and social status as well as the problems it is facing while giving a speech at the East Asia Summit Leaders Dialogue.

    He also elaborated on plans for China's economic and social development in the future.

    In his speech -- "China's Peaceful Development: An Opportunity for East Asia," Wen said China's economy has been growing rapidly at an average annual rate of 9.4 percent in the past 27 years since China embarked on the reform and opening-up program.

    In 2004, China's gross domestic products (GDP) reached 2 trillion US dollars. Its economy accounted for 4 percent of the world economy, which was only 1 percent in 1978. The number of poor rural population had dropped to 26 million from 250 million, he said.

    However, the premier also mentioned the difficulties and challenges China currently faces, such as low per capita GDP, uneven development between urban and rural areas and among different regions, huge pressure on employment, lack of innovation, low level of industrial technology, outdated and inefficient mode of production, an increasingly adverse impact on environment by economic and social development.

    "We need to make committed and long-term efforts to resolve these problems," Wen said.

    He also gave an introduction to the guidelines the Chinese government adopts to further promote China's economic and social development.

    "We are drawing up the 11th five-year guidelines for economic and social development," Wen said, "In the next five years, we will pursue a scientific strategy of development in guiding China's economic and social development and resolve problems in the modernization drive by sustaining economic growth and deepening reform."

    During the next five years, China will maintain fairly fast and steady growth of the economy, speed up restructuring in key sectors and promote economic growth by stimulating domestic demand, he said.

    With the efforts to change the mode of economic growth and pursue a new approach to industrialization, China will try to build a resource-effective and environment-friendly economy, the premier noted.

    The country will also enhance independent innovation making capacity, develop core and key technologies, speed up the application process of research achievements, and upgrade industries, he said.

    "We will pursue a coordinated approach to development, improve rural infrastructure and pursue strategies of developing Western China and of revitalizing the old industrial bases in Northeast China," Wen noted.

    "Our aim is to bring about closer economic integration between urban and rural areas and among different regions of the country by giving full play to their respective advantages," he added.

    The Chinese premier also stressed the importance of building a harmonious society by boosting education, health, culture and other social undertakings, creating more employment opportunities, building the social security system and ensuring a fair opportunity for all.

    In his speech, Wen promised that China will further deepen reform, be an active player in economic globalization and adhere to an opening-up strategy of mutual benefit.

    Looking ahead, he expressed his full confidence. China's goal is to double its per capita GDP in 2000 by the year 2010, and after that, to bring the country's GDP to 4 trillion US dollars and its per capita GDP to 3,000 dollars in another 15 years. This will turn China into a country of moderate prosperity, Wen said. Enditem