Chinese Vice-Premier Wu Yi said Tuesday that the Chinese government pays great attention to the protection of its consumers' legitimate rights and regards the protection as a way to achieve sustainable growth.

Wu told a group of delegates attending a meeting of the Consumers International in Beijing that China considers the protection of consumers' legitimate rights as a "major action to safeguard the fundamental interests of the people."

"We have constantly stepped up our efforts in the protection, and have scored remarkable achievements," she said.

The Consumers International is a non-political, non-profit organization headquartered in London. This was the first time the organization held its annual council meeting in China.

Wu briefed the delegates about China's socio-economic development as well as its efforts in protecting the rights of its consumers. She said China's consumers' rights protection organization should strengthen cooperation with its international counterparts and promote the movement to protect consumers' rights.

(Xinhua News Agency October 27, 2004)