Wen addresses press conference (full text)
(China Daily)
Updated: 2005-03-15 02:11

Bloomberg: A lot of social problems have cropped up in the course of rapid economic development in China, and one of them is the wealth gap. To address problems facing agriculture, rural areas and farmers is top on your agenda. But some people are saying unless farmers are granted the right to use land or they are transferred the ownership of the land, it is impossible to solve the problems. Do you think it is possible to grant farmers land use rights or give them the ownership of the land?

Premier Wen Jiabao gestures at yesterday's news conference held after the closing of the annual NPC session. [newsphoto]

Wen: China's reform started in the countryside. China's rural reform started with the right to manage land by farmers. In the countryside, land is under collective ownership. In the early days of the reform and opening up, the first step we adopted in the countryside was to set up the family contract responsibility system. Farmers were given the right to manage their land, and such rights of the farmer have been extended time and again. Now I can say directly that farmers' autonomy to manage their land won't change for a long time. Actually it will never change.

ERA News from Taiwan: The just-concluded session of National People's Congress adopted the Anti-Secession Law by an overwhelming majority. The passage of the new law has been a subject of great interest to many people. People are especially interested in a section of the law which provides for continued exchanges between the two sides of the Taiwan Straits.

My questions are: Under the framework of the new law, what specific measures will the State Council adopt to promote the continued exchanges?

Moreover, there are many business people from Taiwan living in cities on the mainland, either doing business or they have already settled down. Will this law affect their interests? If not, will the law actually turn out to be promoting and protecting their interests?

Wen: Let me first ask you a question: "Have you read the law?"

ERA News: I have some knowledge of the law and I've read the explanatory notes related to the law.

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