2016年CRI China eyes major national projects to boost economic growth（在线收听）

The 165 major national projects cover several areas including technological innovation, industrial upgrades, infrastructure construction, environmental protection and the overall improvement of people's livelihoods.

"We attach a lot of importance to people's pursuit of a better quality of life. We want people across China to have access to intellectual products and services. We also want them drinking cleaner water, breathing more fresh air and eating quality-assured food," said Hu Zucai, deputy director of the National Development and Reform Commission.

Hu says the list national projects also vary quite a bit, ranging from a poverty relief program covering over 55 million rural residents to the world's first quantum communication satellite, which was just recently put into orbit.

To press the projects forward, the NDRC is planning to introduce a number of new policies to get the job done.

Hu Zucai says this will include incentive programs to try to lure the private sector into the mix.

"Among the 165 major projects, some of them, like public utility services, are led by the government. However, private investment will also be invited to take part in their promotion. Some are jointly being worked on by both the government and private sector, while others mainly depend on the market," said Hu.

The deputy chief of the NDRC says steps are already been taken to open up areas of the Chinese economy which had previously been closed off to private investment.

"We will draft the negative lists for market access, and further open up the fields such as civil airports, basic telecommunication operation and prospect for oil and natural gas, eliminate the threshold of major areas like infrastructure and public utility services. We will also take effective measures resolving issues related to medical care and education, and enhance a more fair competition between private enterprises and their state-owned counterparts," said Hu.

Chinese authorities say they've been able to attract around 150-billion US dollars in private investment through the public-private partnership model, which the government has been actively promoting for the past couple of year.

For CRI, I'm Victor Ning.