国内英语新闻:Chinese president's New Year address strongly echoed in public

BEIJING, Jan. 1 (Xinhua) -- The public on Sunday strongly echoed Chinese President Hu Jintao's New Year address broadcast on Saturday, vowing to make great efforts for rejuvenation of the nation, a better future.

In his speech titled "Jointly Improve World Peace and Development," Hu said that China will continue to develop friendly exchanges with other countries and positively participate in international cooperation on global issues.

The country will continue to balance maintaining steady and relatively fast economic growth with adjusting its economic structures and managing inflation expectations, Hu said in the speech.

PROUD Of COUNTRY'S ACHIEVEMENTS

"We have been encouraged by President Hu's address, said Wang Laihua, head of the public opinions research institute of Tianjin Social Sciences Academy.

"His address summarized the achievements that we have made in the first year of the 12th Five-Year Plan, which raised people's expectation for prosperity, happiness," said Wang.

Hu said in the address that in the face of complicated international situations and arduous tasks in maintaining domestic reform, development and stability in 2011, Chinese people united and continued to push forward the opening up and reform drive and the socialist modernization construction, while maintaining steady and relatively fast economic growth and making progress in building a well-off society in an all-around way.

Zhu Jianfang, chief economist of CITIC Securities, said that the country's macroeconomic control has made positive achievements in the last year, as the prices of properties and commodity have been effectively controlled.

"We feel reassured after hearing Hu's speech," said Wen Jun, who has come to south China's Guangzhou for business from Hong Kong for 16 years, referring to Hu's speech saying that China will stick to the guidelines of "one country, two systems," "Hong Kong people governing Hong Kong," "Macao people governing Macao," and a high degree of autonomy in maintaining the long-term prosperity and stability of Hong Kong and Macao.