sections of the report outlined the government's workings in 2005, the direction the government was planning for the new year, and a brief outline of China's 11th Five-Year Plan. Agriculture and the "Three Rural Issues" policy was emphasized throughout the speech, as was the concept of "Governing for the People" (执政为民). Wen heavily emphasized helping the poor and relieving the wealth gap. Wen announced that agricultural taxes levied regularly on peasants would be fully abolished in 2007. On the issue of health, Wen stressed the need to prevent an avian influenza-related epidemic, and warned people to be cautious of the outbreak and exercise common sense. Many Chinese political analysts concluded that the report was thorough, detailed, thoughtful, and reached out to the people. Western media outlets were mostly neutral on the issue. It was considered to have contained fewer political overtones than in previous years. Although Wen's speech was met with frequent applause, the longest applause came during Wen's mention of the firm stance against Taiwan independence. Wen favoured peaceful re-unification, but stated that the Chinese government will not back down should Taiwanese authorities go "too far", as has been his position for the previous two years. Issues discussed Science and technology was a main issue talking point, and there was consensus that China should continue to move forward with their development. Many deputies have shown concern about the urban-rural wealth gap. Critics say women's rights issues have been ignored, noting that the marital rape bill was shot down. New legislation was passed to prevent disabled persons from being discriminated against in education. Noticeably, the Anti-Secession Law was not mentioned any time during the Sessions, as China wishes to present a more friendly image to the Taiwanese people, in order to promote a peaceful reunification. External links Official CCTV Site CNN Story Official translation of the full text of Wen Jiabao's Government Report Attracting International Attention Transparency USA Today doubts China's "democracy" National Peoples Congress, 2006 National People's Congresses