China puts people before growth

In the government's annual policy speech, outgoing Premier Wen Jiabao said focus would shift from growth at all costs to social programmes.

"We must make ensuring and improving people's wellbeing the starting point and goal of all the government's work," he said in a 100-minute speech opening the national legislature's annual session in the Great Hall of the People.

The address, though given by the outgoing premier, is approved by the new Xi Jinping leadership team.

In a sign of changing styles, the language in Mr Wen's report is much plainer than the phrasing of past years.

Nearly 3,000 congress deputies gathered for the 13-day session.

Mr Wen put special emphasis on programmes to boost the quality of life, tackling problems from excess factory capacity to a yawning income gap that has fuelled protests.

"Some people still lead hard lives," he said.

He called for a change in the growth model to reduce waste, build the service sector as a source of much-needed employment and direct spending on subsidised housing and programmes to boost household consumption.

Overall government spending will increase 10 per cent to 13.8 trillion yuan (£1.5trn).

Restoring the battered environment came in for special attention, with Mr Wen calling for reducing energy consumption, improving conservation and solving the country's serious air, soil and water pollution.

"In response to people's expectations of having a good living environment, we should greatly strengthen ecological improvement and environmental protection," he said.

"The state of the environment affects the level of the people's wellbeing and the future of our nation."