China's parliament ended its annual session Sunday with the approval of the country's budget for 2010, which calls for more spending on health care, education and low-income housing. Premier Wen Jiabao opened the session of the National People's Congress with a state of the nation address on March 5 during which he said 2010 would be a "crucial year" for the economy, predicting another period of rapid expansion.
He said he would work to ensure that the benefits of that growth were more equally shared among China's 1.3 billion people, amid fears about a widening rich-poor divide. He pledged to tame inflation and rein in bank lending.
Wen was set to address the media at a rare press conference at 0200 GMT following the end of the parliamentary session. On Sunday, the body also approved an amendment to its own election law that will boost rural representation in parliament - an apparent response to the growing calls to address the worsening gap between cities and the countryside.
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