Posted: 27 February 2011 1001 hrs
BEIJING - Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao pledged on
Sunday to tackle public concerns such as inflation, runaway growth,
and corruption in an apparent bid to defuse a call for weekly
rallies in 13 cities.
Answering questions from Internet users in a web chat, Wen
addressed a range of top national concerns worrying the government,
which has watched as similar issues touched off political
convulsions in the Middle East and North Africa.
"The purpose of our economic development is to meet the people's
growing material and cultural needs, and make the lives of
commoners better and better," Wen said.
He spoke after a mysterious online appeal urged people to come out
and press China's one-party communist rulers for government
transparency, free expression and to address other public worries
each Sunday at 2pm (0600GMT).
Citizens have been urged to gather for subtle "strolling" protests
at designated sites in 13 cities, but the appeal made no call for
overt political action.
At least 300 uniformed police guarded the entrance to the nominated
protest site in central Beijing on Sunday, in the Wangfujing
shopping street, but there was no sign of demonstrations.
Half an hour after the appointed time, police started clearing the
area.
An AFP reporter earlier saw a line of military-style transport
trucks heading in the direction of the area, emblazoned with
banners calling for the maintenance of stability.
Authorities also earlier erected giant blue barricades in front of
a McDonald's in Wangfujing, apparently to block access to the
designated site.
The area is a short walk from heavily policed Tiananmen Square, the
scene of huge pro-democracy demonstrations in 1989 that were
crushed by the army.
A week ago, a heavy police presence was put in place in several
cities including Beijing and Shanghai for the first so-called
"Jasmine rally" -- a reference to the Tunisian "Jasmine"
revolution.
Last week's events also appeared lightly attended and free of major
incident.
The online protest call seen on overseas Chinese-language websites
-- but blocked by censors within China -- demanded that citizens be
empowered to supervise the secretive government to prevent
abuses.
Wen said the government would respect the people's supervisory
rights but he and other officials have made similar comments before
and he gave no details.
Wen also said the government would ramp up supplies of housing,
crack down on property speculation, ensure output of grains and
other key goods, and punish those who hoard goods.
"Rapid price rises have affected the lives of the people and even
social stability," he said.
Chinese inflation remained near two-year highs in January at 4.9
percent despite a series of measures taken to dampen price rises,
including three interest rate hikes in the past four months.
Soaring food and housing costs have grabbed the headlines in China,
which has a history of inflation-triggered public unrest.
Wen offered no significant new policy measures.
However, decrying runaway growth that has fuelled price rises and
ravaged China's environment, Wen announced Beijing had set an
annual economic growth target of seven percent for each of the next
five years.
The government target had previously been set each year at eight
percent, saying it was the minimum growth necessary to keep
creating jobs and staving off unrest.
China's economy grew 10.3 percent in 2010, marking the fastest
annual pace since the onset of the global financial crisis in
2008.
At Wangfujing, two dozen police cars and vans were stationed near
the shopping street's entrance. At least one armoured riot police
vehicle was also present, and officers walked large police
dogs.
The district was crowded with shoppers as it usually is on
weekends.
A police officer stopped an AFP photographer from entering the
area, saying he could not do so with his camera. Reporters were
also asked for their IDs, and some tourists who did not have their
passports with them were turned away.
With the annual session of China's rubber-stamp parliament set to
open next Saturday, authorities have launched a sharp crackdown in
the wake of the Arab unrest and the Chinese protest call.
Police have levelled subversion charges against several top
activists for spreading the appeal for protests in China, and many
others have been detained or are missing, rights groups have
said.
China's Internet censors have blocked discussion of the unrest in
the Middle East as well as mention of the Chinese "Jasmine rally"
call.
- AFP