Special Report: Spring Festival Special 2009
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Chinese leaders attend a grand gathering
held at the Great Hall of the People to celebrate the upcoming Spring
Festival, or Lunar New Year, and extend festival greetings to the Chinese
people in Beijing, capital of China, Jan. 24, 2009.(Xinhua/Liu
Jiansheng)
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BEIJING, Jan. 24 (Xinhua) -- Chinese leaders offered
their Spring Festival greetings to the nation at a gathering to mark the coming
Lunar New Year here Saturday.
President Hu Jintao chaired the gathering of more
than 4,000 people from various sections of society.
On behalf of the Central Committee of the Communist
Party of China (CPC) and the State Council, Hu, who is general secretary of the
CPC Central Committee, conveyed festival greetings to all Chinese people and his
thanks to the friends of China across the world.
Premier Wen Jiabao, who is also a member of the
Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee,
delivered a speech.
2008 was an extraordinary year for China, in which
the country succeeded in fighting the severe winter weather, the May 12
earthquake, in hosting the Beijing Olympics and launching the Shenzhou-7 manned
spacecraft and actively coping with the current international financial crisis,
he said.
The achievements "demonstrated that no difficulty
could defeat the great Chinese people and the road of socialism with Chinese
characteristics will be broadened," he said.
The country will embrace the 60th founding
anniversary of new China in 2009, Wen said.
Priority should be given to maintaining stable and
relatively fast economic growth this year. This will be achieved through
expanding domestic demand especially consumption demand, restructuring the
economy and transforming the growth pattern, he said.
All will ultimately target maximally satisfying
people's increasing material and cultural needs, he added.
In 2009, China will enhance and improve macroeconomic
control efforts and carry out an active fiscal policy, as well as a moderately
easy monetary policy, he said.
"We have the confidence and the ability to overcome
various difficulties and achieve further development," he added.
The government will pool strength of the nation to do
some practical things for the people, including expanding employment, improving
the social security system, promoting medicare system reform, enhancing
development of the cultural industry, and ensuring smooth rebuilding in
disaster-hit areas, he said.
The government will also strive to solve people's
housing difficulties and to provide satisfactory education that ensures no child
drops out of school because of financial difficulties, he said.
Other leaders, including Wu Bangguo, Jia Qinglin, Li Changchun,
Xi Jinping, Li Keqiang, He Guoqiang and Zhou Yongkang, also attended
the gathering.
Spring Festival, or the Chinese Lunar New Year, is
the most important traditional Chinese festival of family reunion. It falls on
Jan. 26 this year.
Chinese leaders extend new year
greetings to veteran leaders
BEIJING, Jan. 23 (Xinhua) -- Chinese leaders, including President Hu Jintao,
paid visits to former leaders of the state and the Communist Party of China
(CPC) to extend new year greetings as the traditional Spring Festival draws
near.
These veteran leaders included former President and Party
chief Jiang Zemin, former top legislators Li Peng, Wan Li and Qiao Shi, and
former Premier Zhu Rongji. Full story
Chinese president visits army officers
ahead of Lunar New Year
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Chinese President Hu Jintao, who is also
General Secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee
and chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), talks with a
soldier of Beijing Military Area Command in Beijing, capital of China,
Jan. 21, 2009. Hu Jintao paid visits to the Beijing Military Area Command
and a local communication station of the Chinese People's Liberation Army
(PLA) on Wednesday, just days ahead of the traditional Lunar New Year. Hu
conveyed New Year greetings to the soldiers on behalf of the CPC Central
Committee and the Central Military Commission. (Xinhua/Wang Jianmin)
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BEIJING, Jan. 22 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Hu Jintao paid visits to the
Beijing Military Area Command and a local communication station of the Chinese
People's Liberation Army (PLA) on Wednesday, just days ahead of the traditional
Lunar New Year.
Hu, who is also General Secretary of the Communist Party
of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military
Commission, first conveyed New Year greetings to the soldiers on behalf of the
CPC Central Committee and the Central Military Commission. Full story
Mainland extends Lunar New Year
greetings to Taiwan, hoping for closer ties
BEIJING, Jan. 23 (Xinhua) -- A senior Chinese mainland
official on Taiwan affairs called for closer cross-Straits ties Friday in his
Lunar New Year greetings to people on the island.
"We sincerely hope that the two sides of the Taiwan
Straits could improve well-meaning communication, continue to achieve consensus
and keep the momentum of positive interaction to improve cross-Straits ties,"
Wang Yi, director of the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office said. Full story
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