Perspective

When President Hu Jintao pledged in his opening speech at the 18th Party Congress on Thursday that China would double the 2010 average income by 2020, the French politician Jean-Pierre Raffarin said in Paris it was "very welcome news" for debt-ridden Western countries.

"This is not only good for Chinese citizens, whose increased incomes will boost their consumption, but also encouraging for European countries such as France," Raffarin said.