Chinese PM pledges to reduce inflation and spread wealth

China’s government vowed today to clamp down on inflation and urgently raise incomes as it pushes to spread the benefits of economic growth at a time when living standards are rising, but so are calls for greater change.

In a speech that is China’s equivalent to the US president’s annual State of the Union address, premier Wen Jiabao said there would be more assistance to working class and rural Chinese who had not benefited from the country’s rapid growth.