The pace of economic growth in China is confirmed by the true impression that the country has been much more open, thrift and pragmatic, which has also enabled the entire world currently bogged down and deeply immersed in global financial crisis to witness its great confidence and strength.

The coastal city of Dalian in northeastern Liaoning province has publicized new policies to weather the crisis, and its GDP growth in 2009 was adjusted or projected at 14 percent, To obtain this goal, it is imperative to have an industry backing, said Mayor Xia Deren, a deputy to the just-ended Second Plenary Session of the 11th National People Congress (NPC). Apart from the observation of the market, he noted, people have to judge whether the industry is competitive.

It is China's greatest contribution to the world economy by doing its own things well so as to revitalize its economy. So, people will undoubtedly have intriguing thoughts with the use or employment of this yardstick for the evaluation of the nation's 8-percent GDP growth target, a 4-trillion yuan (585 billion US dollars) economic stimulus package and the adjustment and stimulus plans for 10 major industries.

As China occupies a very unique position in the endeavor to fight deteriorating global financial storm, things at "Two Sessions," or the second sessions of the Second Plenary of the 11th NPC and the 11th National Committee of the Chinese Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), are especially noteworthy, and any words or statements on economic matters from Beijing would seem to produce a far away "butterfly effect" somewhere thousands of miles away.

While discussing or conferring on any objectives and trends in the country's economic development, NPC deputies and members of the CPPCC National Committee are quite optimistic yet sober-minded since both the economic growth objectives and trends indicate the responsibilities China assumes for the world and actions it has been taking in a substantial, down-to-earth manner.

The government work report delivered by Premier Wen Jiabao at the Second Session of the 11th NPC enumerated 14 core figures, and nine of these figures were related closely to people's livelihoods, said Ou Chengzhong, the chairman of the Tianjin branch of the China Democratic national Construction Association, one of China's patriotic democratic parties.

As in any previous years, the issue on people's livelihoods attracted the greatest attention as matter of fact. According to the results of an internet survey the People's Daily Online conducted prior to "the Two Sessions" concerning "the issues of most concern for the NPC and CPPCC Sessions" of the top 10 hottest issues, eight of these issues are directly related to people's livelihoods: healthcare, food and drug safety, income distribution, housing and employment problems, the environment protection, education equality, and social insurance.

The Chinese government, which used to give priority to people's lives in its work over the past years, shall work even harder for the assurance and improvement of the people's livelihoods with a greater prominent priority despite harsh, stern difficulties and challenges it is facing at present, by means of integrating the assurance of economic growth, expansion of home consumption and further improvement of people's livelihoods.

China is bent on stepping up its effort to ensure or enlarge employment, promote healthcare reform and enhance education nationwide, and it has been orbited into the focal part of its work this year to study and adopt the national Program for Medium- and Long-term Educational Reform and Development.

Global financial crisis is a rare opportunity for China to change or put an end to its backwardness with the manufacture of car parts and to nurture its well-known global firms with brand auto parts and auto accessories, said Lu Guanqiu, founder and chairman of the Board of Wanxiang Group Company, which makes hampers for the cars that Audi assembles in China.

Asian financial and economic crisis in mid 1997 was cited as the "hot-spot topic" during "the two sessions" in March 1998, veteran reporters who had covered China's NPC and CPPCC sessions for years told younger reporters at the annual sessions. However, the ongoing spreading global financial crisis is much more catastrophic, penetrating and widespread than the 1997 Asian crisis in view of its depth and width. The "prescriptions" set forth today, 11 years after the outbreak of the 2007 Asian financial crisis, arranged a batch of major infrastructure projects and adopted a range of vital policy measures for improving the people's livelihoods.

"After sizing up the overall global and domestic economic situation, this is still a period of important strategic opportunities for China." This statement quoted from the Chinese premier's government work report has given rise to enthusiastic repercussions inside and outside the NPC and CPPCC sessions.

Where is the opportunity? On the subject of where the opportunity is, Prof. Su Wenjin, Deputy President of prestigious Jimei University in the open city of Xiamen, east China's Fujian province, said that "a historic and rare opportunity is hidden within or after immense challenges." He also proposed to resolve thorny economic issues via in-depth reforms through the efforts to advance the strategic economic structural adjustment of and to spur reforms in key spheres, which represents the "heartfelt wishes" of other NPC deputies and CPPCC members as well.

To date, 231 countries and international organizations have confirmed their participation in the Shanghai International Industry Fair due for 2010. The participants, 185 countries and 46 international organizations include the European Union (EU) and its 27 member states, a record number in its 158-year history, according to the Administration for Coordination over Shanghai World Expo Affairs. This shows their trust in China and high expectations for the country.

China has had a great "Golden Decade" of economic development following 1998 when it weathered the storm of the Asian financial crisis. In its endeavor to join hands with the international community to cope with the present global financial crisis, the country is fully confident and capable of opening up an even brighter situation.

By People's Daily Online and contributed by PD reporters Xue Yuan, Liao Wengen and Yu Ronghua