China to deepen reforms in 2014 to be rich and strong: Xi

China will make new strides in 2014 to deepen reforms to make the world's second largest economy rich and strong, President Xi Jinping vowed today.
In his first New Year address to the nation, Xi expressed confidence in China's future reforms to combat a slowing economy.
"In 2013, we made an overall arrangement on comprehensively deepening reform, drawing a grand blueprint for the country's future development," Xi said in his address telecast live.
"In 2014, we will make new strides along the path of reform," Xi, also General Secretary of the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC), said.
The fundamental purpose of the reform is to make the country rich and strong, the society fair and just and people's lives better, the 60-year-old leader was quoted as saying by the state-run Xinhua news agency.

"We have made numerous glories in the great cause of reform and opening-up. I firmly believe that new glories will be awaiting the Chinese people," he said in his message.

Xi's statement came a day after he was named by the Politburo of the CPC to head a 'leading group' for overall reform.
Overall growth is slowing in China. The country is estimated to post 7.6 per cent GDP for 2013, just above the government's official target of 7.5 per cent, state media reported last week. That compares with 7.8 per cent last year, 9.3 per cent in 2011 and 10.4 per cent in 2010.

China last month announced its boldest set of reforms in nearly three decades, relaxing its strict one-child policy and further liberalising markets to stablise the economy.
The leading group will be in charge of "designing reform on an overall basis, arranging and coordinating reform, pushing forward reform as a whole, and supervising the implementation of reform plans," a document issued by the CPC said.
It will research and decide on major guidelines, policies and schemes for systematic reform in economic, political, cultural, social and environmental sectors as well as the Party system, the document said.