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 difficultly 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.

Despite the various challenges, China still strives to comprehensively fulfill the various economic and social development tasks through continuing to strengthen and improve macro controls, pushing forward economic restructuring and shift of development mode, and increasing support to structure adjustment, ensuring people's livelihood, and post-quake reconstruction, according to the meeting.

"Development is the foremost task of the Party in governing the country, as shown by experience," said the meeting.

It said the economy has enjoyed fast and steady growth since the beginning of the year.

"The massive quake disaster and unfavorable global economic elements have not changed the fundamentals of the national economy, which is still heading in the desired direction of the country's macro controls."

However, it acknowledged that economic and social development is challenged by a complicated situation, with more uncertainties brewing.

It urged the introduction of more foresight, relevance and flexibility into macro controls. "Macro control measures need to be carried out with proper emphasis, rhythm and vigor."

Prudent fiscal policy should play a bigger role in structure adjustment, providing guarantee to people's livelihood and post-quake reconstruction, the meeting said.

It requires employing both economic levers, which would serve as the major tool, and legal and necessary administrative measures to cap prices that are rising too fast.

The meeting urged increasing production and improving reserves of daily necessities like grain, edible oils and meat, and other commodities in short supply.

It also asked for intensified supervision over prices and market order.

It urged ensuring grain supplies and providing more preferential policies and more investment in agriculture.

The meeting vowed to advance economic restructuring with measures such as speeding up the industrial structure upgrading, promoting energy-saving campaigns, optimizing investment structure, and stabilizing and improving foreign trade policy.

It said the country would strengthen financial supervision to ward off financial risks. It would promote the healthy development of the capital market and maintain a stable real estate market.

The country would continue with its reforms in key sectors and would deepen its opening up policy, the meeting said.

It also urged cutting running costs of administrative organs and diverting more resources to post-quake reconstruction, addressing people's difficulties and national economic and social development.

(Xinhua News Agency June 14, 2008)