中国商务部部长助理仇鸿
中国 重庆
2008年4月21日
Opening Speech at the China-Canada Workshop on Improving the Conditions for Migrant Workers in China
By Qiu Hong, Assistant Minister of Commerce
Chongqing, PRC
April 21, 2008
尊敬的各位来宾
女士们，先生们：
Dear guests,
Ladies and gentlemen,
上午好。很高兴来到重庆，出席“中国农民工问题中加国际研讨会”。首先，我代表国家商务部，向此次研讨会的举办表示热烈祝贺，向到会的各位来宾和海内外朋友表示诚挚的欢迎！
Good morning. It’s my great pleasure to join you in Chongqing for the China-Canada Workshop on Improving the Conditions for Migrant Workers in China. Let me start by extending my warmest congratulations on the holding of the workshop and my sincere welcome to the delegates and friends from both home and abroad.
女士们，先生们，
Ladies and gentlemen,
农民工是我国改革开放和工业化、城镇化进程中涌现的一支新型劳动大军，目前，我国农民工总数已达2亿。他们广泛分布在国民经济的各个行业，为城市繁荣、农村发展和国家现代化建设做出了重大贡献。随着我国工业化、城镇化的加快发展，将会有越来越多的农村富余劳动力逐渐转移到城市中来，农民工在城乡之间的流动及其生存和发展问题将是我国今后一段时间内面临的主要挑战之一。
Migrant workers emerged as a new source of labour in the process of China’s reform and opening up, industrialization and urbanization. China currently has a total migrant worker population of 200 million. They are widely found in every sector of the national economy and are making major contributions to urban prosperity, rural development and modernization. As industrialization and urbanization accelerate in China, more and more excess labour will migrate from the countryside to cities. The migration of these workers, their livelihood and development are among major challenges China has to address for the coming period of time.
农民工数量众多，农民工问题影响深远，不仅关系到农业增效、农民增收和农村繁荣，也关系到我国工业化、城镇化和现代化的发展，关系到我国全面建设小康社会和构建社会主义和谐社会的伟大进程。
Migrant workers are vast in number. Addressing migrant worker issues will profoundly increase agricultural productivity, farmers’ income and rural prosperity. It is also relevant to the advancement of industrialization, urbanization and modernization in China and to the great cause of building a moderately well-off society, a socialist harmonious society.
近年来，中国政府高度重视农民工问题，制定了一系列保障农民工权益和改善农民工就业环境的政策措施。2006年，国务院出台了《国务院关于解决农民工问题的若干意见》，明确了做好农民工工作的指导思想、基本原则和政策措施，对于切实保障广大农民工的合法权益，进一步改善农民工的就业环境，引导农村富余劳动力合理有序转移，推动社会主义新农村建设和中国特色的工业化、城镇化、现代化健康发展，具有重大的意义。同时，各地区、各部门也做了大量工作，进行了一系列有益探索和尝试，取得了明显实效。但农民工仍面临一些亟待解决的问题，主要表现在工资偏低，被拖欠现象严重；劳动时间长，安全条件差；缺乏社会保障，职业病和工伤事故较多；培训就业、子女上学、生活居住方面也存在着很多困难。维护好农民工的权益是今后一个时期需要解决的突出问题。
In recent years, the Chinese government has directed great importance to migrant worker issues and has crafted a host of policy measures aimed at protecting the rights and interests of migrant workers and improving their working conditions. In 2006, the State Council promulgated the Opinions of the State Council on Addressing Migrant Worker Issues, which prescribed the guidelines, principles and policy actions for improving migrant worker status and carried great significance for protecting migrant workers’ rights and interests, further improving their working conditions, directing a reasonable and orderly flow of excess rural labour, pressing ahead with building a new socialist countryside and fostering sound progress on industrialization, urbanization and modernization with Chinese characteristic. At the same time, a lot of efforts have also been made by different localities and departments. Useful attempts and experiments were conducted with notable results. But still some formidable challenges with regard to migrant workers remain to be tackled. These challenges mainly include low wage level and default payout, long working hours, poor safety conditions, inadequate access to social security, high incidence of job-related diseases and casualties. Other challenges include training and job creation, schooling for migrant workers’ children and their living conditions. Protecting the rights and interests of migrant workers, among other things, is a pronounced issue that needs to be tackled in the near term.
女士们，先生们，
Ladies and gentlemen,
农业劳动力向非农业和城镇转移，是工业化、城镇化过程中的必然趋势，是中国在迈向现代化的过程中面临的一个重要问题，也是各国发展中曾经遇到和将要遇到的普遍问题，发达国家和相关的国际机构在这方面进行了长期的研究，积累了丰富的经验，国内相关部门和研究机构对此也进行了大量的研究和探讨。
Labour migration from agriculture to non-agricultural sectors, from rural to urban areas is an inevitable trend in the process of industrialization and urbanization. It creates a major challenge for China moving toward modernization, a common challenge that has confronted or will confront many other countries in the process of development. Developed countries and relevant international agencies have conducted long-running research in this field and accumulated a wealth of experience. Relevant domestic departments and research institutes have also carried out extensive studies and discussions.
本着借鉴国际经验、增进国际交流的目的，我们在这里举行“中国农民工问题中加国际研讨会”，以推动实现“千年发展目标”为宗旨，以“中国农民工面临的挑战”和“针对农民工的社会保障改革”为议题，邀请了包括城镇化、社会保障改革、劳动力市场、法律援助、农民工权益保护和职业卫生与安全等领域的资深国内外专家进行研讨，希望通过各位专家的研讨，分享各国的经验与成果，梳理出解决农民工问题的政策和建议，并将本次研讨会的成果递交国家有关部门借鉴参考。
In order to draw on international experience and step up international exchanges, we are holding this Canada-China Workshop on Improving the Conditions for Migrant Workers in China. With a purpose of facilitating the materialization of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), we have invited seasoned experts from home and abroad on urbanization, social security reform, labour market, legal aid, protection of migrant workers’ rights and interests and occupational health and safety to discuss “Challenges Facing Migrant Workers in China” and “Social Security Reforms for Migrant Workers”. In this way, I hope we can share the experience and fruits of various countries, come up with policy recommendations and pass on the findings of the workshop to competent authorities for reference.
选择重庆举办中国农民工问题国际研讨会具有特殊意义，不仅因为重庆农民工人口多，转移劳动力任务重， 还因为重庆在统筹城乡发展、解决农民工问题方面做出了有益的探索。重庆市在全国率先设立了“农民工日”（每年11月的第一个星期天），将农民工在城市发展的诸多问题提到了重要议事日程，做了许多实事，在全国引起很大反响。
Choosing Chongqing as the host city for this workshop is of particular importance. For one thing, Chongqing, with its large population of migrant workers, has a strenuous task to relocate the labour forces; and for another it has done a lot in trying to balance urban-rural development and address issues related to migrant workers. Chongqing is the first city in China to have a “Migrant Worker Day” (first Sunday of November) and to have raised the issues of migrant workers in cities high on its agenda. Its pragmatic work has been echoed throughout the nation.
同时， 为支持和配合重庆市在解决农民工问题方面的试点工作，2007年9月商务部与加拿大国际发展署签署了“农民工职业卫生与安全”项目谅解备忘录，项目将在重庆市执行，为期5年， 加方将投入500万加元，中方将配套投入1000万人民币，中加双方将在保护农民工权益方面的开展合作和交流。本次研讨会为加强在农民工问题方面的国际合作提供了广阔的平台，我们欢迎其他国家和国际机构继续与重庆市相关部门建立广泛、务实的合作关系。
At the same time, in order to support Chongqing’s pilot programme in addressing migrant workers issues, the Ministry of Commerce of China (MOFCOM) and the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Occupational Health and Safety of Migrant Workers in September 2007. The project will be executed in Chongqing with a term of 5 years. CIDA will commit 5 million Canadian dollars and the Chinese side 10 million RMB. China and Canada will conduct cooperation and exchanges on rights-protection for migrant workers. This workshop provides an excellent setting for us to strengthen international cooperation on issues facing migrant workers. We encourage other countries and international agencies to continue building broad and practical partnerships with their counterparts in Chongqing.
希望在座的各位专家学者在一天半的研讨会上畅所欲言、各抒己见，为解决中国的农民工问题献计献策。我们期待着本次研讨会在大家的共同努力下取得丰硕的成果。最后，作为此次会议的主办方之一，我代表国家商务部，向为此次研讨会做出突出贡献和在对华发展合作中给予我们大力支持的加拿大国际发展署和加拿大驻华使馆，表示衷心的感谢；向在座的各位来宾和中外专家，重庆市政府和重庆市外经贸委，表示诚挚的谢意。
I hope that in the following one and a half days, experts and scholars will speak their minds and offer suggestions to help China with the issues. We hope that this workshop will yield great results with our joint efforts. Finally, on behalf of MOFCOM, one of the co-hosts, I would like to thank CIDA and the Canadian Embassy in China for putting this workshop together and for their support to our development cooperation. My thanks also go to the delegates and experts from home and abroad, Chongqing Municipal Government and Chongqing Commission of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation (COFTEC).
预祝研讨会圆满成功！
I wish this workshop a great success.