Several Opinions of the State Council on the Promotion of the Development of the Service Sector
Several Opinions of the State Council on the Promotion of the Development of the Service Sector
Several Opinions of the State Council on the Promotion of the Development of the Service Sector
Guo Fa [2007] No.7
March 19, 2007
To the People's Governments of all provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities directly under the Central Government, and all ministries, commissions and directly subordinate organs under the State Council,
In accordance with the general direction and guidelines for the development of the service sector as determined in the design of the Eleventh Five-Year Plan, several opinions on promoting the development of the service sector are set forth as follows:
I. Fully realizing the major significance of accelerating the development of the service sector
The service sector is an important part of the national economy, and an important indicator for measuring the economic development level of a modern society. China is now in the stage of building a well-off society in an all-round way and accelerating industrialization, urbanization, market mechanisms and internationalization, and many conditions supporting the sound and rapid economic development have been preliminarily in place. Accelerating the development of the service sector, enhancing the proportion of the service sector in the structure of primary, secondary and tertiary industries, as well as making the service sector a leading industry in the national economy are the only way of pushing the adjustment of economic structure and speeding up the transition of the economic growth mode, are the imperative needs for effectively easing the bottleneck restrictions as a result of shortage of resources and advancing the use efficiency of resources, and are the effective ways for and realization of upswing in the overall national strength as a whole in the new situations of opening up to the outside world. Accelerating the development of the service sector, forming a relatively complete system of the service sector, offering profuse products satisfying the needs of people in materials, culture and living, and making it a major industry that absorbs both urban and rural new workers are the intrinsic requirements for the settlement of the livelihood of the people, promotion of the social harmony and building a well-off society in an all-round way. Therefore, we must attach great importance to the major long-term strategic task of accelerating the development of the service sector at the height of implementing the scientific development view and strategic ideology of building a harmonious socialist society into real effect.
Both the Central Committee of the CPC and the State Council have always attached importance to the development of the service sector, formulated a series of policy measures for encouraging and supporting it, and the development of the service sector have been advanced obviously. Especially since the 16th Conference of the Chinese Communist Party, we have continued to expand the scale of service sector, improved in both structure and quality, and deepen the reform and opening to the outside world in service fields, which has played a significant role in promoting the steady and rapid economic development, increasing work opportunities, etc. However, there are still some problems which cannot be neglected in the development of the service sector, such as the overemphasis on the development of industry, especially on heavy industry, and pay insufficient attention to the development of the service sector. In general, China's service sector is short in supply, unreasonable in structure, low in service level, weak in competitiveness, low in the proportion of contribution to the national economic development, not in match with the accelerated economic and social development as well as the adjustment and upgrade of the industrial structure, it does not meet the requirements for building a well-off society in an all-round way and building a harmonious socialist society, and does not conform to the new situations of economic globalization and opening further to the outside world. All localities and all departments shall further improve their awareness, make their minds consistent with central decision making and deployment, alter their development concepts, broaden their vision about development, and endeavor to solve the existing problems, in order to speed up the escalation of the service sector to a new level, to boost the economy and society to run on the tracks of scientific development, and promote the sound and rapid development of the national economy.
II. General requirements and major targets for accelerating the development of the service sector
During the present and next few years, the requirements for the development of the service sector are to: take Deng Xiaoping Theory and the important thought of Three Represents as our guide, fully implement the scientific outlook on development and the important strategic ideology of building a harmonious socialist society, regard the development of the service sector as a major way for accelerating the adjustment of industrial structure, transiting the mode of economic growth, enhancing the overall strength of the national economy and realizing the full, consistent and sustainable development of the national economy, insist on the ideas of people first, reciprocity and fairness, further improve the public service system and mechanisms that shall cover both urban and rural fields with reasonable function, and continuously enhance the supply ability and level of public services; stick to the direction of market mechanism, industrialization and socialization, promote the service sector to broaden its fields, intensify its functions and optimize its structure; keep to the overall allocation and coordination as well as categorized guidance, bring relative advantages into play, carry out reasonable planning, and shape up a development pattern for a service sector that is vigorous, with distinct features and mutually supplemental in advantages; adhere to the innovative development, enlarge the opening wider the outside world, absorb the advanced experiences, technologies and modes of management of the developed countries, intensify the international competitiveness of the service sector, and realize the sound and rapid development of the service sector.
According to the design of the Eleventh Five-Year Plan, the major targets in developing the service sector during the period of the Eleventh Five-Year Plan are: by the year of 2010, the ratio of the added value of the service sector to the GDP shall have grown by 3 per cent as opposed to that of 2005, the ratio of workers engaging in the service sector to those in the whole society shall have grown by 4 per cent, and the total amount of trade in services shall have reached 400 billion U.S. dollars; an industrial structure giving priority to the service economy shall have been formed in qualified large or medium-sized cities, and their growth rates of added value of the service sector shall have exceeded the growth rates of the GDP and the secondary industry. By the year of 2020, the transition to an economic structure giving priority to the service economy shall have been accomplished preliminarily, with the ratio of the added value of the service sector to the GDP over 50%, the structure of the service sector notably optimized, the employment capacity obviously augmented, the degree of equalization in the public services notably advanced and the market competitiveness notably enhanced, and the overall level of development shall have basically satisfied the requirements for the full construction of a well-off society.
III. Greatly optimizing the structure of development of the service sector
In order to adapt to the new situations of new-type industrialization and the upgraded consumption structure of residents, emphasis shall be placed on the development of the modern service sector, the traditional service sector shall be regulated and upgraded, and the role of the service sector in attracting employment shall be fully displayed.
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