China will work to ensure that the majority of school-age children in the country will receive the minimum nine-year compulsory education in the coming years. Minister of Education, Zhou Ji, made the announcement Wednesday at a press conference outlining an Education Action Plan for the period ending 2007.

Under the action plan, China aims to ensure at least 160 million rural children get the minimum nine years of education, something urban Chinese can already afford.

At the press conference, Minister Zhou Ji noted that promoting education in rural areas is a top priority for the Chinese government.

He said: "Developing rural education is of fundamental importance for China to building an all-round well-off society. The issue is of major concern to the Chinese government, and should be placed on the list of major priorities."

He also said that the action plan aims to ensure that the nine-year compulsory education will be available for 85 percent of school-age children in the country by 2007. The plan also aims to bring the illiteracy rate down to five percent, and is also specifically targeted at illiteracy among young and middle-aged people.

Under the action plan, top financial priority will be given to China's vast, but underdeveloped western region, which has the largest illiteracy rate in the country. Zhou Ji also pledged greater financial input into education, particularly in rural areas.

He said: "We believe that the current government will, within its term of office, increase financial input into education to an amount equaling 4% of the annual GDP. The government has worked to guarantee sufficient input in order to help achieve the goals set out in the action plan."

While pledging government financial support, Zhou Ji said the action plan also calls for the mobilization of various social resources to enable China to promote education and thus boost economic and social progress in the country.