Chinese Vice-Premier Huang Ju has called for making substantial efforts to ensure industrial safety, by implementing a State Council resolution on further stepping up the work in this area.

Huang Ju, who is a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, made this call at a national conference on the work of industrial safety, which was held in Beijing on Jan. 17-18. State Councilor Hua Jianmin presided over the meeting.

In his speech, the vice-premier said that industrial safety is connected with the safety of people's lives and property as well as the general situation of reform, development and stability.

China still faces a stark and grave situation in the field of industrial safety, though the situation was improving as a whole last year, featuring less incidents and casualties, he noted.

In 2004, the government plans to further improve the situation of industrial safety and adopt a quota system to make local governments responsible for ensuring industrial safety, according to the official.

The meeting participants included central and provincial government officials in charge of the issues and leading officials of major state-owned enterprises.

(Xinhua News Agency January 19, 2004)