Shanghai mayor admits problems but pledges a bright future for city

Promises center on food prices, social security and fair income distribution

SHANGHAI - Shanghai Mayor Han Zheng has pledged to contain rapidly rising food prices and provide residents with better social security and higher incomes.

The city witnessed an 8.4 percent growth in GDP in the first half of this year, and the disposable personal income of urban residents increased by 12.4 percent in the same period, Han said on Tuesday while releasing the municipal government's half-year work report to the municipal people's congress.