The National Soccer Working Conference opened in Shenzhen on January 13. Meanwhile, the "Whiter Paper on China's Football", regarded as the action program for China's football in the 21st century, was published officially.

Yan Shiduo, executive vice-president of the Football Association of China, made a work report at the conference, explaining China's football guideline and putting forward pragmatic tactics for China's football in the new century.

This report, considered as Yan Shiduo's administrative program, contains three parts: review of the 9-year football reform course; guiding thought, main goals, and basic measures on football work in the coming five years; and this year's main work. The principal work targets in the coming five years include increasing China's football population, improving infrastructure facilities, enhancing China's status in the Asian football world, basically establishing a prototype of the new league match system, so that the football industrial structure will become more rational.

Persisting in structural readjustment, putting emphasis on youngsters, raising the level and establishing the image of China's football have become the guidelines for the association's work in the next five years.

(People's Daily 01/14/01)