2nd LD Writethru: Xi demands solid efforts to advance planned reforms

President Xi Jinping on Tuesday called for solid efforts to press ahead with the country's planned reforms in accordance with the established timetable and roadmap.

The country should focus more on economic system reforms and improve fundamental mechanisms that support these overhauls, according to a statement released after a meeting of the Central Leading Group for Deepening Overall Reform, chaired by Xi.

During the meeting, a string of policies were passed concerning green finance, intellectual property rights, resource allocation and poverty relief, among others.

Policymakers promised to "significantly reduce" the government's role in the direct allocation of resources and, instead, rely more on the power of the market, and also improve intellectual property rights protection.

More will be done to encourage private investors to explore opportunities in environmentally friendly sectors, according to the statement.

Authorities at all levels were ordered to fulfill their poverty relief responsibilities and improve land reforms for rural areas.

As part of efforts to improve the environment, a pilot environmental damage compensation system will be rolled out across Jilin, Jiangsu, Shandong, Hunan, Chongqing, Guizhou and Yunnan.

According to the statement, science and technology ( S&T) institutes should adopt a salary system and pay rise mechanism that reflect the value of brainwork and provide the right motivation for scientists.

The income distribution policy should take into consideration the differences between natural and social sciences as well as differences between jobs in basic research, technological development and commercial application of technology, the statement said.

Regarding health reform, medical institutes were urged to learn from successful models while exploring reform measures that would suit their own situations.

It called on the health industry to improve the operation of state-run hospitals, medical insurance management, medicine supply, supervision and develop effective, pertinent personnel management and salary systems.

While acknowledging the progress already made in major fields, the statement said that inspections were needed to review the implementation and results of the reforms.

Over the course of the 27 meetings convened by the leading group since December 2013, hundreds of measures have been designed and released to address various issues, including urbanization, poverty alleviation, innovation and the market's role in resource allocation.

The latest emphasis on reform came nearly three years after the key Third Plenary Session of the 18th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China in 2013, which featured a comprehensive reform package that covered 15 areas and 60 tasks.

China vowed that it would achieve "decisive results" in major reform areas by 2020. Endi