{"page":"\u003clink rel=\"stylesheet\" href=\"https://lessonplanet.com/assets/packs/css/resources-c03aa079.css\" /\u003e\n\u003clink rel=\"stylesheet\" href=\"https://lessonplanet.com/assets/packs/css/lp_boclips_stylesheets-517835be.css\" media=\"all\" /\u003e\n\u003cdiv data-title='AP pix of opening ceremony of the NPC' data-url='/boclips/videos/5c54bd94d8eafeecae1352c4' data-video-url='/boclips/videos/5c54bd94d8eafeecae1352c4' id='bo_player_modal'\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='boclips-resource-page modal-dialog panel-container'\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='react-notifications-root'\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-header'\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-type'\u003e\n\u003ci aria-hidden='true' class='fai fa-regular fa-circle-play'\u003e\u003c/i\u003e\nVideo\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003ch1 class='rp-title' id='video-title'\u003e\nAP pix of opening ceremony of the NPC\n\u003c/h1\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-actions'\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='mr-1'\u003e\n\u003ca class=\"btn btn-success\" data-posthog-event=\"Signup: LP Signup Activity\" data-posthog-location=\"body_link_boclips\" data-remote=\"true\" href=\"/subscription/new\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan\u003eGet Free Access\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003e for 10 Days\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e!\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-body'\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-info'\u003e\n\u003cdiv aria-label='Hide resource details' class='rp-hide-info' role='button' tabindex='0'\u003e\u0026times;\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003ci aria-label='Expand resource details' class='rp-expand-info fai fa-solid fa-up-right-and-down-left-from-center' role='button' tabindex='0'\u003e\u003c/i\u003e\n\u003ci aria-label='Compress resource details' class='rp-compress-info fai fa-solid fa-down-left-and-up-right-to-center' role='button' tabindex='0'\u003e\u003c/i\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-rating'\u003e\n\u003cspan class='resource-pool'\u003e\n\u003cspan class='pool-label'\u003ePublisher:\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003cspan class='pool-name'\u003e\n\u003cspan class='text'\u003e\u003ca data-publisher-id=\"30356011\" href=\"/search?publisher_ids%5B%5D=30356011\"\u003eCurated Video\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-description'\u003e\n\u003cspan class='short-description'\u003eChina promised a vigorous government spending programme, with increased money for infrastructure, social programmes and tax cuts to overcome the country's brewing economic crisis, at the National People's Congress in Beijing on...\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003cspan class='full-description hide'\u003eChina promised a vigorous government spending programme, with increased money for infrastructure, social programmes and tax cuts to overcome the country's brewing economic crisis, at the National People's Congress in Beijing on Thursday.\u003cbr/\u003eThe massive cash outlays will allow the government to aim for economic growth of \"about eight percent,\" Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said in a speech to open China's annual legislative session.\u003cbr/\u003eThe government hopes to create nine (b) million new urban jobs, Wen said. Rising unemployment is a major concern of the government as a drop in worldwide demand for Chinese products has forced thousands of factories to close.\u003cbr/\u003e\"In China, a developing country with a population of 1.3 (b) billion, maintaining a certain growth rate for the economy is essential for expanding employment for urban and rural residents, increasing people's incomes and ensuring social stability,\" Wen said.\u003cbr/\u003eChina's leadership believes that maintaining a strong rate of growth is essential for creating jobs, raising incomes and staving off unrest in a society that has grown used to steadily rising standards of living.\u003cbr/\u003eEconomic growth of anything less than seven or eight percent, some officials say, would strain stability.\u003cbr/\u003eChina has the world's third-largest economy after the United States and Japan, and its plans are being closely watched, with stocks up around the world on Wednesday on hopes China would take convincing action to restart its economy.\u003cbr/\u003eBeijing sets spending levels not only for central government but also for local governments.\u003cbr/\u003eBudgets this year are projected to increase by almost 25 percent. The central government budget will total 4.38 (t) trillion yuan (640 (b) billion US dollars.) Local government spending will also increase by nearly 25 percent and will total 6.1(t) trillion yuan (891(b) billion US dollars.)\u003cbr/\u003eThe government announced a four (t) trillion yuan (586 (b) billion US dollars) stimulus package in November, and Wen said the budget deficit would rise to about three percent, totalling 950 (b) billion yuan (139 (b) billion US dollars) for 2009 - the highest in communist China's history.\u003cbr/\u003eHe said the amount of outstanding government bonds equalled about 20 percent of gross domestic product and \"is within the acceptable range of what our overall national strength can bear and is therefore safe\".\u003cbr/\u003eWen said China's economy faced many difficulties. \"The global financial crisis continues to spread and get worse,\" he said.\u003cbr/\u003eThat means China is suffering from a continuous drop in its economic growth rate with a growing excess production capacity. There were declines in government revenue and difficulties in keeping rural incomes growing.\u003cbr/\u003e\"Consumption demand is insufficient,\" Wen added.\u003cbr/\u003eWen said an additional 850 (b) billion yuan (124 (b) billion US dollars) would be spent on health care reforms over the next three years, including 331.8 (b) billion yuan (48.5 (b) billion US dollars) from the central government.\u003cbr/\u003eWen's speech comes a day after China said it planned a 14.9 percent increase in defence spending this year. The additional funding would go toward boosting salaries and benefits for China's 2.3 (m) million-strong military force - the world's largest.\u003cbr/\u003eChina's defence spending amounts to just 1.4 percent of gross domestic product, compared to four percent for the United States.\u003cbr/\u003eThe 480.68 (b) billion yuan (70.27 (b) billion US dollars) military budget follows a 17.6 percent increase last year and 17.8 percent in 2007 - the biggest jump in more than a decade. It's also the 19th double-digit percentage increase in the past two decades.\u003cbr/\u003eThe National People's Congress is also a sensitive political time for the government, with petitioners coming from around China to try to get help on problems they feel local officials are ignoring.\u003cbr/\u003eSecurity was tight around Tiananmen Square, which was sealed off from the public. The hordes of tourists who normally fill the square were forced to stay on the pavements across the street in areas heavily patrolled by soldiers with fire extinguishers and police who randomly searched bags and soldiers.\u003cbr/\u003eThree petitioners from Tangshan in neighbouring Hebei province were stopped by police who took their documents and questioned them. They said they came to Beijing to seek help in a case involving the killing of their son 15 years ago. An older man holding a bundle of documents was also stopped and put into a police car.\u003cbr/\u003eTwo women holding what appeared to be petition documents and a folded cloth banner were stopped and searched by police on the edge of Tiananmen Square. They were put into a police van and driven away.\u003cbr/\u003e1. Medium shot of leaders walking on to stage to take seats\u003cbr/\u003e2. Wide shot of leaders walking on to stage to take seats\u003cbr/\u003e3. Wide shot of NPC Chairman Wu Bangguo announcing the start of the session\u003cbr/\u003e4. Wide shot of Wen bowing to representatives and leadership\u003cbr/\u003e5. SOUNDBITE (Mandarin) Wen Jiabao, Chinese Premier\u003cbr/\u003e\"The global economic crisis is still expanding. We have not seen the worse of it yet. The global market demand continues to contract. The global deflation trend is obvious. Trade protectionism is beginning to rear its head. China's external economic environment is turning more serious. There are increasing elements of uncertainty.\"\u003cbr/\u003e6. Cutaway to representatives reading the speech with large screen showing Wen in background\u003cbr/\u003e7. SOUNDBITE (Mandarin) Wen Jiabao, Chinese Premier\u003cbr/\u003e\"The effects of the international financial crisis has slowed economic growth, which has become the problem affecting the overall situation. Some industries are suffering from surplus production capability. Some enterprises are having difficulties in their management. The employment situation is extremely serious.\"\u003cbr/\u003e8. Wide shot of leaders\u003cbr/\u003e9. Close-up Chinese President Hu Jintao listening\u003cbr/\u003e10. SOUNDBITE (Mandarin) Wen Jiabao, Chinese Premier\u003cbr/\u003e\"This year our main targets of national economy and social development are expected to be: domestic GDP should maintain a growth of about eight percent, the economic structure needs to be further improved, we need to add new jobs for more than nine (m) million people in cities and towns, and we need to control the registered unemployment rate in rural areas under 4.6 percent.\"\u003cbr/\u003e11. 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