Editorial | Li Qiang is right to make employment a national priority
- Ultimately, the overriding reality for the new premier is that a sustainable restoration of vibrant and healthy economic growth is key to tapping into the potential of youth for contributing to China’s economic success
Much has been made of the initial impression created by Li Qiang in his first press conference as China’s new premier, in which he projected a pragmatic, down-to-earth day-to-day governing style.
The former Shanghai party secretary has made it clear he expects officials to get out of their offices more often, talk to local communities and adopt a more proactive approach, for example by accelerating government approvals and administrative action.
That is a recipe for more empathetic governance just when the country needs it to address post-Covid economic problems.
One of the foremost among them is unemployment, particularly among young people, in an ageing society which recorded 850,000 fewer births than deaths last year.
Economic growth is an important part of the solution. After last year’s 3 per cent expansion, the lowest since 1976, Li says, rightly, it will not be easy to hit this year’s target of around 5 per cent.
The support of the private sector, which accounts for most job creation, is paramount. Li assured entrepreneurs of Beijing’s backing in a bid to restore confidence after regulatory crackdowns last year on the platform economy, private education and property development, sectors that create a lot of jobs.
