Page 8 - REPORT ON THE WORK OF THE GOVERNMENT

effort. The Chinese people marked this occasion to demonstrate their dedication
to safeguarding peace and upholding justice together with other peoples.

Over the past year, China’s all-round diplomacy has delivered fruitful
outcomes. President Xi Jinping and other Chinese leaders have visited many
countries and attended international events including the United Nations summits,
the G20 Leaders Summit, the 23rd APEC Economic Leaders Meeting, the 21st
Session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on
Climate Change, the East Asian leaders’ meetings on cooperation, and the World
Economic Forum annual meeting 2016. The Summit of the Forum on
China-Africa Cooperation and the China-EU Leaders’ Meeting were held, and the

China and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC)
Forum was inaugurated. Fresh progress was made in China’s relations with other
major countries; pragmatic cooperation with neighboring countries was
strengthened; friendship and cooperation with other developing countries grew;
relations with the United Nations and other international organizations and
mechanisms were strengthened in all areas; and notable achievements were made
in economic diplomacy and cultural exchanges. As a responsible major country,
China played an important constructive role in international and regional affairs.

We owe these achievements to the sound overall decisions made by the CPC
Central Committee headed by General Secretary Xi Jinping, and to the concerted
and determined efforts of all members of the Party, all members of the armed
forces, and all the people of China. On behalf of the State Council, I wish to
express our sincere gratitude to the people of all ethnic groups in China including
public figures from all sectors of society and to the other parties and the people’s

organizations. I express our heartfelt appreciation to our fellow countrymen and
women in the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions and in Taiwan,
and to Chinese nationals overseas. I also wish to express our sincere thanks to the
governments, international organizations, and friends from all over the world who
have shown understanding and support for China in her endeavor to modernize.

While recognizing our achievements, we are also keenly aware that our
country is still confronted with many difficulties and problems in pursuing
development. With the decline in global trade, amongst other factors, China
experienced a fall in its total imports and exports and failed to reach its growth
objective in this regard. Growth in investment is sluggish, overcapacity is a serious

problem in certain industries, some enterprises are facing difficulties in production
and operations, growth prospects are mixed for different regions and different
industries, notable imbalances exist between government revenue and
expenditures, the basic institutions for the capital market still need to be improved,
and there are latent risks in the financial and other sectors. There are many
problems in medical care, education, elderly care, food and medicine safety,

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