Chinese Vice Premier Wu Bangguo has urged China's railway sector staff to bring a pioneering spirit to their jobs and work hard in all respects in 2003.
Priority would be placed on easing transport pressure on busy lines, construction of railways in western China, railway sector reforms and workplace safety, said Wu, who is also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee.
He made the remarks in Beijing Sunday after hearing reports by Ministry of Railways officials and highly praised the achievements in railway construction in recent years.
Outlining the blueprint, Wu said the railway sector's technical equipment by 2020 should equal or surpass that of developed countries. The transport capacity, quality and services of the railway industry should keep abreast with the requirements of building a comparatively prosperous society in an all-round way.
He listed reforms, construction of key projects such as the Qinghai-Tibet Railway, improvement of transport efficiency, upgrading of railway technology and boosting Party building as major tasks for the railway industry in 2003.
(Xinhua News Agency December 30, 2002)
