BEIJING, March 5 (Xinhuanet) -- It is of vital
importance to
ensure national security and social
stability in the new
circumstances, said Chinese
Premier Zhu Rongji Tuesday when
delivering the Report
on the Work of the Government at the opening
of the
annual session of the National People's Congress
(NPC).
China must take strict precautions
against and firmly crack
down on, according to law,
sabotage by hostile forces both inside
and outside
China, crack down on criminal activities perpetrated
by forces of terrorism, religious extremism and
ethnic separatism,
and continue to fight Falun Gong
and other cults, he said.
"In order
to make the entire society significantly safer, we
must severely deal with criminal activities and
underworld
criminal forces in accordance with the law
and improve public
security where it is weak,"
the premier stressed.
The premier said
that under the principle of combining action
with
prevention while putting prevention first, the government
will implement measures for the all-round improvement
of social
order, and actively establish a prevention
and control system for
public security and a
mechanism that guarantees that funds are
available
for operations of procuratorial, judicial and public
security organs.
Community
development and management and political power at
the
grass-roots level in rural areas will be
strengthened, Zhu said.
Contradictions among the
people under the new circumstances have
to be handled
correctly so that factors liable to adversely
affect
social stability can be eliminated at the
grass-roots level while
still in the embryonic stage,
he noted.
The premier pointed out that the
fundamental interests of the
people of all ethnic
groups lie in strengthening ethnic unity and
safeguarding the unification of the country.
The government will adhere to and improve the
system under
which ethnic minority groups practice
self-government in the
regions they inhabit; fully
implement the Party's policy on ethnic
groups and
consolidate and develop the socialist relationships of
equality, unity and mutual assistance among different
ethnic
groups; and support and assist the ethnic
minority regions to
speed up development, according
to Zhu.
The government will continue to
implement the "Program to
Develop Border Areas
and Improve the Lives of the People There",
he
said, adding that great efforts will be made to train cadres
and talented personnel from among ethnic minority
groups.
He said it is important to
implement the Party's policy on
freedom of religious
belief, administer religious affairs
effectively and
in accordance with the law, and actively guide
various religions to adapt to socialist
society.
Religious circles must adhere to
the principle of self-
administration and running
religious affairs independently, and
expand the
contingent of religious patriots.
The
government will conscientiously implement the policy
towards overseas Chinese and handle overseas Chinese
affairs well.
Zhu made it a
point that strengthening national defense and
building up the armed forces constitute an important
guarantee for
national security and the smooth
development of China's socialist
modernization
drive.
In line with the general
requirements of "being qualified
politically and
competent militarily, having a fine style of
work,
maintaining strict discipline and being assured
of adequate
logistical support," and taking the
military strategy of active
defense for the new era
as the guideline, China will strengthen
the armed
forces through science and technology, run the armed
forces by high standards and concentrate on quality
without
neglecting thrift.
This
aims at building a more modernized, standardized and
revolutionary army and improving its effectiveness in
wars to
defend the country and in handling emergency
situations when the
use of high technologies has
become predominant in warfare, Zhu
said.
He said that China will accelerate the
restructuring, reform
and development of its defense
industry, raise the level of
scientific research and
innovation and promote the development of
weaponry
and equipment.
The reform of logistical
services must be deepened to achieve
better
performance of the military economy and provide more
effective comprehensive support.
Work will be done to strengthen the People's Armed Police;
improve the national defense mobilization system;
consolidate the
militia and reserve forces; improve
national defense education;
encourage the armed
forces to support the government and cherish
the
people, encourage the people to support the army, and give
preferential treatment to families of service people
and martyrs;
and consolidate and strengthen unity
between the army and the
government and between the
army and the people.