Duties of each ministry were clarified to guarantee annual economic and social development goals are achieved, and works concerning sustainable agricultural development deployed to accelerate modernization at the State Council executive meeting presided over by Premier Li Keqiang on March 18. Measures were also specified to improve efficiency and boost trade at ports.

The meeting confirmed the 12 fields, 62 key tasks and responsible units of this year’s government work. It was stressed that a proactive fiscal policy should be implemented and monetary policy be flexibly used to help enterprises and government at grassroots level expand employment and ensure that the economy runs within a reasonable range. Economic operations should be tracked and analyzed and policies and plans prepared.

The meeting also emphasized reform in streamlining and delegating more powers to lower levels and that fiscal, taxation, investment and financing should be further promoted to stimulate market vitality and potential. Measures including cutting administrative approval and taxation should be introduced to promote mass entrepreneurship and innovation.

Supply of public products and services should be expanded and key project construction to improve people’s livelihood accelerated. The export of homemade equipment and international cooperation should be encouraged to develop a new driving force. Supervision and evaluation of work were also stressed.

Issues of agriculture, farmers and rural areas are a priority. Efforts should be made to change the development pattern and expand a new type of agricultural modernization. The meeting passed the China Sustainable Agricultural Development Plan and confirmed the points as follows:

Optimize the allocation of agricultural production — protect farmland, maintain the sown area of grain and improve farmland quality. The aim is to create 0.8 billion mu (53.3 million hectares) of high-standard farmland which can ensure stable yields despite drought or excessive rain by 2020.

Various types of moderate-scale management should be promoted on the basis of stable household management, so as to improve the productivity of labor and production quality.

Construction of water and soil protection, and ecological improvement in rural areas should be carried out. The saving and efficient use of water resources should be promoted; pollution avoided; protection of forests, grasslands, wetlands and lakes enhanced.

A broad range of measures have also been specified to improve efficiency and boost trade at ports, including supporting the establishment of cross-border e-commerce pilot zones.

The measures include canceling or delegating approval procedures concerning customs clearance and canceling all nonadministrative approval procedures. Necessary procedures need to be simplified and completed within the time promised, and standards should be specified.

To ease the financial burden on enterprises, illegal administrative charges on exports and imports are to be canceled, charges for operation and service are to be regulated and paperless work promoted.