Chinese Vice-Premier Wu Yi Friday urged the national capital, Beijing, to play an exemplary role in maintaining a good order of the market-oriented economy during an inspection of food safety administration in the city.

The safety of food was directly related to the health of the ordinary people and had a bearing on the image of the leading Communist Party of China (CPC) and the government, she said.

The vice-premier, who was accompanied by Acting Mayor Wang Qishan, visited a farm produce wholesale market and two facilities of local administration of industry and commerce in the eastern outskirt a Tongzhou district, to learn about the issue in detail.

Beijing city should be the pace-setter in establishing and improving the market order for the rest of China to emulate, and this is required not only the needs of economic development but by political needs, Wu said, adding that modern technologies and equipment should be adopted to supervise the modern market.

(Xinhua News Agency August 2, 2003)