China will pursue deeper economic and political reforms following the Beijing Olympics, President Hu Jintao said on Friday, casting the Games as a stepping stone to his country's peaceful emergence as a prosperous power. The lead-up to the Games has brought friction and worries over human rights, pollution and censorship, but Hu told a select group of reporters that the sports event could serve to ease international distrust -- if politics does not intrude. “We believe that politicizing the Olympics does not favor resolving these issues, and also violates the Olympic spirit,” he said. “The current dream of the Chinese people is to accelerate building a modern country, realize the great renaissance of the Chinese nation, and with the peoples of the world seek peaceful progress, amicable co-existence and harmonious development.” A week before the Games open, China's top leader said he was also keeping a close eye on inflationary strains that have sent jitters through the world's fourth biggest economy. “Since the beginning of this year the Chinese economy has undergone some great trials and confronted some major challenges,” he said, noting paralyzing ice and snow in the country's south early in the year and a devastating earthquake in May. China would focus on maintaining steady, fast growth while containing inflation, Hu said. “We must maintain steady, relatively fast development and control excessive price rises as the priority tasks of macro adjustment,” he said. China's economy grew 11.9 percent in 2007, but the pace of expansion slowed to 10.4 percent in the first half of this year as demand for China's exports softened and credit curbs bit. The ruling Communist Party has shown no appetite for dramatic political liberalization. But Hu suggested that some changes could come in the wake of the Games. “At the same time as constantly deepening reform of the economic system and achieving sound and fast economic and social development, we will continue pursuing comprehensive reforms including reforms of the political system,” he said. Hu and other leaders have said some political change is needed to cure corruption and meet citizens' rising demands for a say in government. And Party think-tanks and scholars have also urged even deeper reforms. Democracy advocates have said they hope bolder reforms will emerge from the international gaze on the Games and then the December anniversary of the meeting celebrated as launching Deng Xiaoping's market reforms in 1978.
