China's reform starts 2015 strongly

BEIJING - In the midst of an adjusting economy and various domestic challenges, China has vigorously advanced its grand, but arduous, reform plans in 2015.

In the world's eyes, China seemed to be in a contradictory situation in the new year. In the January edition of Vanity Fair, Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph E. Stiglitz wrote that China has just "overtaken the United States as the world's largest economy". "China enters 2015 in the top position, where it will likely remain for a very long time, if not forever".

However, some economic data released by China at the beginning of 2015 also led to overseas worries about China's economic development.

Irrespective of the praise or worries, China has focused on its own issues, with Chinese leaders stressing on many occasions that this is an important year for implementing a series of reform plans and advancing the rule of law.

It is the last year of the country's 12th five-year plan. In addition, there are only five years before 2020, the point by which the leadership has been aiming to have built "a moderately prosperous society in all respects".

"Efforts should be made to ensure the reform measures work and actually solve the problems," said Chinese President and General Secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee Xi Jinping during a meeting of the central leading group for deepening overall reform in January.

Reform initiatives are already being rolled out. The State Council has publicized plans concerning raising the salaries of public servants and staff in public-funded institutions.

The adjustment coincides with efforts to unify the pension system for private sector employees, civil servants and employees of government-sponsored institutions.

On Jan 28, the first Circuit Court of the Supreme People's Court was established in South China's Shenzhen City, a move widely viewed as a key step towards optimizing the judicial sector.

At the beginning of February, a key annual policy document made plans for reforms concerning rural areas and agriculture.