BEIJING, March 5: Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao pledged on Wednesday a more equal society and streamlined government, as he vowed to address a vast array of problems tarnishing the nation’s remarkable modernisation drive.

Wen Jiabao used his annual ‘state of the nation’ speech to parliament to promise reforms that would make life more fair for the country’s 1.3 billion people, who have experienced massive changes during three decades of historic reforms.

Just months before Beijing hosts the Olympic Games, Mr Wen said inflation, which hit a near 12-year high of 7.1 per cent in January, topped the list of national concerns.

“We are clearly aware that there are still many problems affecting China’s economic and social development and the work of the government,” he told the opening session of the parliament, the National People’s Congress.

Against this backdrop, Mr Wen said some of the other problems the government needed to address were the environmental consequences of economic growth, food and drug safety, a lack of jobs and an inadequate social safety net.

He also said the gap between rich and poor was continuing to grow, especially between the fast-developing cities and the rural areas.

“We must work harder to resolve them,” he said of the problems.

Cutting massive bureaucracy in China while pushing ahead with political reforms were two key areas identified by the premier in the government’s plans, but he said the Communist Party would not loosen its grip on power.

“We will deepen reform of political institutions and advance socialist political standards,” he told the 3,000 parliamentary delegates, adding that Chinese-style democracy would be expanded.

About government efficiency, Mr Wen announced plans that could lead to the consolidation of the many government departments and ministries.

There are currently 28 full-blown ministries, and dozens of other bodies of nearly equal weight, and there has been speculation for months the government intended to collapse many into “super-ministries”.—AFP