The State Council, China's Cabinet, yesterday unveiled multiple tasks for accelerating the development of the service sector in the 2011-2015 period.

 

Developing the service sector is a strategic priority in the country's optimization and upgrading of its industrial structure, said a statement released after an executive meeting of the State Council presided over by Premier Wen Jiabao.

 

The country will enhance efforts to raise the sector's value in the economy, lift the development level, improve the quality and efficiency of public services and strengthen the sector's role in generating jobs, the statement said.

 

Officials attending the meeting agreed on speeding up development in more specific sectors oriented toward boosting industrial upgrading and agricultural modernization. These sectors include finance, transport, telecommunications, technological support, project consultation, human resources and environmental protection, according to the statement.

 

Sectors catering to the multi-level and varied needs of the public should be greatly promoted. They include goods trade, family services, legal consultations, sports and real estate services, the statement said.

 

China will also push for a further opening of the service sector by promoting service exports and attracting more overseas investment. The country will also expand international exchanges and cooperation in the sector, and work more closely with Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan, the statement said.

 

It said the government will relax controls on market access to the service sector and encourage the investment of various kinds of capital.

 

Furthermore, the State Council has identified key sectors to promote, including modern logistics, high-tech services, culture, e-commerce, tourism, design consultation, health issues and elderly care as well as services targeted at the countryside and oceanic services, the statement said.

 

The service sector provided 34.6 percent of jobs in China in 2010. From 2005 to 2010, the sector created 5.79 million new jobs on average annually, it said.

 

The State Council has outlined the major tasks over the next few years because the development of the service sector remains low. It is also not as competitive as its global peers, the statement said.

 

Official data show that China's tertiary industry took up 43.1 percent of the country's GDP in 2011, up from 40 percent in 2005. 

 

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