Economic growth to remain at core of policies, say officials and experts

China will prioritize high-quality development and keep economic development at the core of policies in the next five years while refining regulations to narrow income gaps, officials and experts said on Monday.

The report delivered by General Secretary Xi Jinping at the opening session of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China has put the quality of development in a more prominent position, said Mu Hong, deputy director in charge of routine work of the Office of the Central Committee for Deepening Overall Reform.

High-quality development needs to be achieved in all areas, including on the economic, social, cultural and ecological fronts, Mu said at a news conference to introduce and interpret the report on Monday.

Underscoring high-quality development as the foremost task for building a modern socialist country in all aspects, the report has further highlighted the significance of development quality in the long term and on all fronts, said Mu, who is also deputy head of the National Development and Reform Commission.

In the new era, the principal contradiction facing Chinese society is that between unbalanced and inadequate development and the people's ever-growing need for a better quality of life, Mu said.

The report delivered by Xi on Oct 16 is seen as China's blueprint for building a modern socialist country in all respects for the next five years and beyond. It stressed that pursuing high-quality development and achieving common prosperity for all are essential requirements of Chinese modernization.