（三）注重统筹兼顾，加快社会事业发展
 
The spread of SARS exposed problems arising from disparities between economic and social development. We promptly made necessary adjustments to the government's priorities and investment to stimulate the development of social undertakings. The central government spent 85.5 billion yuan in 2003 on education, health, science and technology, culture and sports, 12. 4% more than the previous year. Treasury bonds worth 16.3 billion yuan were issued to support the development of social undertakings, an increase of nearly 200%.
非典疫情蔓延，集中暴露出我国经济和社会发展不协调的问题。我们从政府工作的着力点和财政投入等方面，及时作出必要调整，推动社会事业加快发展。中央财政全年用于教育、卫生、科技、文化、体育事业的支出达855亿元，比上年增长12.4％；支持社会事业发展的国债投资达163亿元，增长近两倍。
 
We improved the national public health system, focusing on epidemic prevention and control and on rural areas. The National Plan for Developing an Information System for Public Health Monitoring and the National Plan for Developing a System for Medical Rescue and Treatment in Public Health Emergencies were formulated and implemented. A system was set up for early warning and response for public health emergencies. Public health infrastructure was improved, with the focus on networks spanning provincial, city (prefecture) and county levels for disease prevention and control. The central government worked with local governments to build more rural health and medical institutions. Pilot projects for a new cooperative medical care system and medical assistance system were initiated in rural areas.
以疾病预防控制和农村为重点，加强全国公共卫生体系建设。制定并组织实施《国家公共卫生监测信息体系建设规划》和《突发公共卫生事件医疗救治体系建设规划》，建立突发公共卫生事件预警和应急机制。加强公共卫生设施建设，重点抓了省、市（地）、县三级疾病预防控制网络建设。采取中央与地方共建办法，加强农村卫生医疗机构建设。开展新型农村合作医疗制度和医疗救助制度试点。
 
The State Council issued the Decision on Further Strengthening Rural Education. Increased financial support was extended to rural education from the central budget and treasury bonds. Priority was given to subsidizing rural teachers' salaries in the central and western regions, renovating dangerous primary and secondary school buildings, carrying out pilot projects in modern distance education and aiding needy students. Many cities began to make schooling available for the children of migrant rural workers, and the governments of those cities took over primary administrative responsibility.
国务院作出《关于进一步加强农村教育工作的决定》。中央财政和国债资金加大了对农村教育的支持力度，主要用于补助中西部农村教师工资发放、中小学危房改造、中小学现代远程教育工程试点和资助家庭经济困难的学生。许多城市开始实行以流入地政府管理为主的办法，努力使进城务工农民的子女能够上学。
 
Great progress was made last year in basic research, strategically important hi-tech research, and industrial application of new and high technologies. The State Council began formulating a national medium- to long-range program for scientific and technological development. It organized many experts to participate in feasibility studies and a number of important research results have already been obtained.
一年来，我国基础研究、战略高技术研究和高新技术产业化取得重要进展。国务院着手编制国家中长期科学和技术发展规划，组织大批专家参与研究论证，已有一批重要研究成果。
 
Reform of the cultural system and the development of cultural undertakings were vigorously promoted. Efforts were intensified to rectify the cultural products and services market. Fresh achievements were made in amateur and competitive sports.
积极推进文化体制改革和文化事业发展。文化市场整顿力度加大。群众体育和竞技体育运动取得新成绩。
 
Population and family planning work was further strengthened. Fresh progress was made in the areas of land and resources administration, environmental protection, forestry development and ecological improvement.
人口和计划生育工作进一步加强。国土资源管理、环境保护、林业发展和生态建设等方面都做了大量工作，取得新成效。
 
4. Caring for people's well-being, creating more jobs and administering social security work well
（四）关心群众生活，做好就业和社会保障工作
 
We consider it highly important to protect the vital interests of the people and help them, especially the needy, in solving problems in their work and daily lives. Governments at all levels conscientiously implemented a series of measures drawn up by the Party Central Committee and the State Council for increasing employment and reemployment and increased their efforts, capital spending and policy support in this regard. The central government allocated an additional 4.7 billion yuan of subsidies for job creation. We increased our employment guidance and services for last year's college graduates, who were the first to be enrolled under the college expansion plan of 1999. By the end of last year, 83% of last year's graduates from regular institutions of higher learning had found jobs, 600,000 more than the previous year.
我们高度重视解决群众特别是困难群众的生产生活问题，维护群众切身利益。各级政府认真落实中央关于扩大就业再就业的一系列措施，加大资金投入、政策支持和工作力度。中央财政新增47亿元专项补助资金，用于支持就业再就业。加强对高校扩招后首批毕业生就业的指导和服务，全国普通高校毕业生就业率去年底达到83％，比上年增加60万人。
 
To continue ensuring the "two guarantees" (guaranteeing that the living allowances for workers laid off from state-owned enterprises and that the pensions of retirees are paid on time and in full) and the "three-stage guarantee" for laid-off workers, the central government spent 70 billion yuan in 2003, 19.9% more than the previous year; of this sum, subsidies for subsistence allowances for the urban poor increased from 4.6 billion yuan in 2002 to 9.2 billion yuan in 2003. This allowed 22.35 million urban residents throughout the country to receive such benefits. In 2003, the central government began making annual allocations of special funds to help local governments assist ex-servicemen who are working in enterprises to solve their financial difficulties. Benefits were again raised for disabled revolutionary servicemen and other people who are entitled to special care by the government.
为继续落实“两个确保”和“三条保障线”，2003年中央财政支出700亿元，比上年增长19.9％；其中用于城市居民最低生活保障的补助资金由上年46亿元增加到92亿元。全国2235万城市居民得到最低生活保障。从2003年起，中央财政每年安排专项资金，支持地方解决企业军转干部等生活困难问题；再次提高革命伤残人员等优抚对象的抚恤补助标准。
 
We further intensified efforts to alleviate rural poverty through development and we invested more to improve working and living conditions in underdeveloped areas. We made all-out efforts to fight disasters and ensure adequate disaster relief. Central budget funds totaling 8.03 billion yuan were spent on relief for people affected by floods, droughts, earthquakes or other disasters, up 63.9% over the previous year, and 2.79 billion yuan was invested in post-disaster reconstruction. As a result, proper living arrangements were made for people in disaster-afflicted areas, production resumed and reconstruction proceeded in an orderly way. Governments at all levels took the problem of wage arrears for migrant rural workers very seriously, worked harder to resolve it and achieved initial results.
我们进一步加强农村扶贫开发工作，增加资金投入，改善贫困地区生产生活条件。全力做好抗灾救灾工作，中央财政用于洪涝、干旱、地震等救灾救济支出80.3亿元，比上年增长63.9％；用于灾后重建的中央投资27.9亿元。灾区群众生活得到妥善安排，恢复生产和重建工作有序进行。各级政府重视解决拖欠农民工工资问题，加大了工作力度，取得初步成效。
 
5.Pressing forward with institutional innovation and making significant progress in reform and opening up