The State Anti-Drug Committee held a full-member conference on Tuesday to study recent instructions by state and Communist Party leaders, who have demanded that the current anti-drug campaign be considered a long-term task and the subject of persistent efforts.

The leaders are State President and Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee General Secretary Hu Jintao, Premier Wen Jiabao, and Zhou Yongkang, member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Central Committee Political Bureau and secretary of the CPC Central Commission for Political and Legislative Affairs.

The leaders ordered a continuation of the people's war against drugs and urged significant achievements in publicizing anti-drug knowledge, cracking down on the drug trade in accordance with the law, strengthening management in the anti-drug campaign, and carrying out international cooperation.

According to State Councilor and Minister of Public Security Meng Jianzhu, who presided over the meeting, the leaders also called for making the implementation of the Anti-drug Law a turning point to strengthen law enforcement.

In addition to studying leaders' instructions, the participants also heard reports on the anti-drug work of the past few years and studied the arrangements for the next stage of the campaign.

China has attached great importance to the anti-drug campaign. While constantly cracking down on domestic drug smuggling, Chinese law enforcement departments have cooperated with foreign governments to fight drug trade around the globe.

With assistance from China, many Myanmar farmers have turned to growing grain instead of opium poppies.

Recently, a number of drug smugglers have been executed or sentenced to prison in China.

(Xinhua News Agency June 25, 2008)