Putting people first is the objective of a communique issued after the Third Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Committee, said a high-level Chinese economist.

Promoting social equity and justice and improving people's well-being are the starting points and the objectives of the deepening economic reform, said Hu Angang, Director of the Center for China Study of Tsinghua University.

A decision on "major issues concerning comprehensively deepening reforms" was approved, according to the communique issued after the Nov 9-12 CPC key meeting.

The decision also highlighted people's well-being as another major guiding principle when addressing domestic problems.

Hu interpreted the people-oriented idea as a major breakthrough from previous meetings, because social equity and justice will be weighed the same as economic effectiveness and outcome during the country's reform.

Modernization of China's "governance system" and "governance capability," important parts of state system, are also new and significant concepts put forward by the communique, according to Hu.

The general objective of the reforms is to improve and develop socialism with Chinese characteristics and push on with modernization of the country's governing system and capabilities, said the communique.

Hu held that the new modernization guideline is a necessity and a must for China after decades of economic reform, and that it will set clearer goals for the country's future reform.