Key Tasks

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, on September 14, specified five key areas that must be addressed by the government in order to augment the reform of the country's political system.

They include firmly establishing the rule of law, promoting social equality and justice, safeguarding judicial justice, ensuring people's democratic rights and combating corruption.

"Of these five tasks, the most important are to expand democracy, promote social fairness and fight corruption," Wen said at the World Economic Forum's Annual Meeting of the New Champions 2011, which was held in northeast China's port city of Dalian, Liaoning Province.

"By doing so, disadvantaged groups will receive help and our people will feel secure and look to the country's future with confidence," he said.

Wen made the statement in response to a question raised by World Economic Forum Chairman Klaus Schwab.

Maternal Health

The maternal mortality rate in China has dropped significantly as the country has begun providing expecting mothers with subsidies that allow them to give birth in hospitals.

The maternal mortality rate stood at 30 out of 100,000 in 2010, said Fu Wei, a senior official with the Ministry of Health, at a press conference on September 9. The figure was 34.2 out of 100,000 in 2008.

Since 2009, each pregnant woman in the countryside has received 500 yuan ($77) to cover the cost of hospitalization.

From 2009 to July 2011, the Chinese Government allocated 7.9 billion yuan for the program and subsidized 22.62 million expectant mothers.

As a result of the program, 96.7 percent of rural expectant mothers gave birth to their children in hospitals, up 4.4 percent from 2008.

The increased rate of hospital delivery has also reduced the infant mortality rate. The infant mortality rate in China now stands at 13.1 out of 1,000 in 2010, having fallen by two thirds from its 1990 level. This meets the targets set by the UN in its Millennium Development Goals.

Agricultural Program

Pilot programs promoting the use of controlled- release fertilizer have been expanded to more than 20 provinces in China, compared with five in 2008, said the National Agro-Tech Extension and Service Center (NAESC). The NAESC is a department under the Ministry of Agriculture.

The move is aimed at reducing pollution caused by the excessive use of fertilizer to protect the environment and save energy, the NAESC said.

Controlled-release fertilizer is an energy efficient means of delivering fertilizer according to a preset program.

NAESC Director Xia Jingyuan predicted the use of controlled-release fertilizer could help increase agricultural production by 5 to 10 percent on average.

Great Wall Discovery

Surveys of several sections of the Great Wall have uncovered sections featuring two to three smaller walls built parallel to the main wall.

Duan Jingbo, chief of a surveying team in northwest China's Shaanxi Province, said that this type of construction allowed military leaders to garrison troops more effectively, increasing the defensive power of the wall.

It was previously believed the Great Wall was built as a single continuous extension.

The Great Wall was originally built in the Warring States Period (475-206 B.C.). Sections of the wall were rebuilt during later periods, including the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).

China started surveying the Great Wall more intensively in 2006, in order to investigate the overall condition of the structure.