Xi pushes reform group

President Xi Jinping called on Tuesday for solid efforts to press ahead with the country's planned reforms in accordance with the established timetable and road map. 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 that was presided over by Xi. During the meeting, policies were passed concerning such issues as green finance, intellectual property rights, resource allocation and poverty relief. Policymakers promised to "significantly reduce" the government's role in the direct allocation of resources and to rely instead on the power of the market, and also to improve protection of intellectual property rights. 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 to improve land reforms for rural areas. As part of efforts to improve the environment, a pilot environmental damage compensation system will be rolled out in Jilin, Jiangsu, Shandong, Hunan, Guizhou and Yunnan provinces and in Chongqing municipality. According to the statement, science and technology institutes should adopt a salary system and pay raise process that reflects the value of such work and provides 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. The statement called on the health industry to improve the operation of State-run hospitals, medical insurance management, medicine supply and supervision and to develop effective personnel management and salary systems. While acknowledging the progress already made in major fields, it 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.