Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao on Friday pledged to keep giving priority to "addressing issues concerning the immediate interests of the people" at a gathering to greet the imminent traditional Spring Festival, the Chinese Lunar New Year's Day.

"We will properly handle interests of various sides, protect the rights and interests of honest laborers and legal businesses, pay attention to maintaining social equality, and strive to improve the work and living conditions of people in difficulties," Wen said.

Chinese leaders Hu Jintao, Wu Bangguo, Jia Qinglin, Zeng Qinghong, Wu Guanzheng, Li Changchun and Luo Gan also attended the gathering of 4,000 personages from various walks of life, held in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.

Spring Festival, the Chinese Lunar New Year's Day, falls on Jan. 29 this year.

President Hu Jintao, who is also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, chaired the gathering and conveyed best festival greetings to all the Chinese people and his thanks to the friends of China the world over on behalf of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council.

"I wish you a happy Spring Festival, health and happy family life!" said Hu.

"We will pay full, meticulous attention to and protect the most cared about, most immediate and most practical interests of the people," said Wen, adding efforts will be made to tackle employment, social security, poverty relief, education, medical care, housing, environment and security issues.

Wen said China made great progress in building an affluent socialist society in an all-round way in 2005 and in its modernization drive - the national economy maintained a steady and relatively fast growth. Reform and opening to the outside world took major substantial steps forward. Development of various social undertakings gathered speed and the life of people in both urban and rural areas continued to improve.

As the year 2006 is the first year of the 11th Five-Year Plan period (2006-2010), it is imperative to work hard this year, Wen acknowledged.

He said the nation will keep accelerating the reform and opening up, stepping up innovation, pushing forward the readjustment of economic structure and the shift of growth mode and giving priorities to addressing issues concerning the immediate interests of people.

"We will comprehensively strengthen economic, political and cultural construction and the development of a harmonious society to achieve a good beginning for the 11th Five-Year Plan period," said Wen.

To accomplish the lofty goal of building a well-off society in an all-round way, Wen note, the most crucial thing is to go on emancipating and develop the productive forces.

"We'll bring out the best of the people's initiative and creativity and enable all fountains of social wealth to flow out freely," added Wen.

Wen said, "Looking to the future, we see the very bright prospects for our motherland."

He called on the whole nation to work hard and capitalize on the sound momentum of development to make further progress in China's modernization drive.

He said that the Chinese people will join with people from the whole international community to work for a peaceful and harmonious world.

Source: Xinhua