China’s Premier Wen Jiabao has said reform of the political system is necessary to sustain the nation’s breakneck economic growth, state media reported.
“We not only have to push forward reform of the economic system, but we also have to push forward reform of the political system,” Mr Wen was quoted as saying by the Xinhua state news agency on a trip to the southern boomtown of Shenzhen.
“If there is no guarantee of reform of the political system, then results obtained from the reform of the economic system may be lost and the goal of modernisation cannot be achieved,” he said, according to the report on Saturday.
Mr Wen added it was important to “guarantee the people’s democratic rights and legitimate rights and interests”.
“We must resolve the problem of excessive concentration of power, create conditions that allow people to criticise and supervise the government and firmly punish corruption,” he was quoted as saying. —AFP