Hu stresses stability in New Year address

Chinese President Hu Jintao stressed the need for a "harmonious society" in his televised New Year address. The phrase is shorthand for a policy aimed at narrowing the gap between rich and poor and other rifts that have emerged in recent years, AFP reported. "2007 is an important year in building a socialist harmonious society under the guidance of the scientific development concept," Hu said, according to state media. He said the government will exert greater effort in addressing social problems concerning people's lives, but did not give a more detailed outline of what the administration plans to do.