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Leaders urge all-out efforts for quake relief, development

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-06-16 15:32

Chinese leaders on Friday urged the nation to make all-out efforts in meeting the various tasks, including quake relief, post-quake reconstruction, economic and social development and preparation for the upcoming Olympics.

All the nine members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, provincial chiefs and heads of departments of central authorities attended a meeting Friday in Beijing as "quite a few new complicated elements emerge in the international and domestic situations" and work of the CPC and the state faces "quite a few  new severe challenges".

President Hu Jintao made a speech on the current situation and raised overall requirements and tasks on quake relief, post-quake reconstruction, economic and social development and preparation for the Olympic Games.    

Premier Wen Jiabao made a briefing on quake relief in the past period and current economic situation and made specific arrangements about providing one-on-one support to quake-hit areas and maintaining sound momentum of economic development.    

According to the meeting, the 8.0-magnitude quake that hit Sichuan Province on May 12 was the most destructive quake, a quake that affected the widest area and a quake that posed the most difficulty for quake relief since the New China was founded in 1949.    

However, with concerted efforts from various sectors of society as well as international aid, major achievements have been made in quake relief as many people were saved, basic livelihood of the survivors' were cared for and social order remained stable in general.

The meeting pointed out that the quake relief situation was still severe and tasks still heavy. Major effort should be put into treating the injured, re-settling the survivors, preventing epidemics and secondary disasters and rehabilitating the infrastructure. 

Meanwhile, reconstruction should be started as soon as possible. One province should be designated to help rebuild one hard-hit county, and the central government would also earmark special funds for reconstruction. Departments of the central authorities are also ordered to give their support to the work.    

The meeting also called on officials and people in quake areas to help each other and rebuild their lives with their own hands.    

According to the meeting, the reconstruction should follow scientific programming and be done step by step. According to the meeting, 19 provinces and municipalities including Guangdong and Shanghai would help 18 hard-hit counties in Sichuan and affected regions in Gansu and Shaanxi provinces.    

The meeting urged systemic research into the quake and quake relief work to enhance China's disaster prevention capacity and improve its emergency response mechanisms, to better protect the lives and property of the people.