Chinese President Hu Jintao reiterated on Monday that close attention and concrete efforts are needed to ensure safe production, and officials in charge should always "put people first."

In a meeting of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee Political Bureau held on March 27, Hu said that safe production is of great importance to realize, protect and develop the fundamental interests of the people, and to build a harmonious society.

Hu, together with other senior party officials, was given a lecture on foreign production administration by well-known Chinese scholars and discussed the issue at the meeting.

Hu, also general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, said safe production not only has a direct impact on people's lives and property safety, but also on social stability and the reform and opening-up process. The Party has taken the concept of safe production as part of the development strategy of China's modernization.

"To highlight safe production is also a step forward in implementing the scientific concept of development," Hu said, adding the Party and government have done a lot to ensure safe production in the long term.

He stressed that economic and social progress could not be achieved at the price of people's lives or the destruction of environment. Serious accidents have caused great harm to the people, which should be well remembered as lessons written in blood.

Hu said that to ensure safe production, people should stay alert, abide by working rules, establish technical support, and carry out careful supervision. Those who break the rules or have caused accidents should be severely punished.

He called on production units to fully abide by production rules, and local governments to shoulder the responsibility as supervisors. Chinese lawmakers should improve laws and regulations, and the whole society should be more aware of safe production. Regular inspections should be made in certain professions and trades, and more investment should be put in preventing unsafe production.?

(Xinhua News Agency March 29, 2006)