Chinese premier chairs State Council executive meeting

Chinese Premier Li Qiang on Friday chaired a State Council executive meeting that heard a report on the progress of the "AI Plus" initiative, discussed a draft revision to the Teachers Law and a draft amendment to the Pricing Law, and reviewed and approved a draft decision on amending and repealing certain administrative regulations.

The meeting noted that AI is a key factor shaping future development, and called for further advancing the "AI Plus" initiative by leveraging China's industrial system, its range of application scenarios and its engineering capabilities to drive technological innovation through practical use.

It called for intensified efforts to tackle key technological challenges, promote algorithmic innovation, advance the coordinated development of computing capacity and electricity supply, and more high-quality data.

The meeting also stressed the need to promote AI applications in the real economy by better aligning supply and demand, encouraging joint research and development, advancing pilot testing and validation, and cultivating application scenarios to translate AI technologies into real productive forces.

It called for coordinating development and security, adopting differentiated measures tailored to different industries, and strengthening risk assessment to ensure AI safety.

The meeting discussed and approved in principle the draft revision to the Teachers Law and decided to submit it to the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress for deliberation.

It called for stronger safeguards for teachers' pay and benefits, reduced non-teaching workloads, improved public services for teachers, and better protection of their professional dignity and legitimate rights and interests.

The meeting urged efforts to build a high-caliber, professional teaching workforce, improve the teacher education system, enhance teachers' ability to teach and nurture students, strengthen professional ethics and conduct, and foster an atmosphere of respecting teachers and valuing education throughout society.

The meeting also discussed and approved in principle the draft amendment to the Pricing Law and decided to submit it to the national legislature's standing committee for deliberation. It called for curbing disorderly low-price competition in accordance with the law and regulating price competition in the platform economy to foster a fair and orderly market environment.

The meeting decided to amend certain provisions of 14 administrative regulations and repeal four others.