A senior Chinese leader has urged Communist Party of China (CPC) organizations and members to lead the way in both the nationwide anti-SARS campaign and the efforts to boost economic development.
Zeng Qinghong, vice president of China and a member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Central Committee Political Bureau, made the call during an inspection tour in Hunan and Shandong provinces between 14-21.
Zeng visited a number of cities in the provinces to investigate SARS prevention and control work, development of the local economy, and Party building.
He visited local clinics, residential blocks and factories, and talked with officials, city residents and villagers.
Zeng praised the provinces for their efforts to bring the epidemic under control and develop the local economy. Development was the primary task, and would provide resources to fight SARS, he said.
Noting that remarkable progress has been made in fighting SARS, he asked local party organizations and governments to continue to spare no efforts in the campaign.
In Weihai City, Shandong, Zeng gathered with leading officials from Shandong, Hunan and Guizhou provinces, and from the central authorities to discuss the opening of remote training for rural CPC cadres.
In Hunan, he paid a visit to the ancestral home of late Chinese leader Mao Zedong. This year will see the 110th anniversary of the birth of Mao, who was born on December 26, 1893.
(Xinhua News Agency May 22, 2003)
