This is to improve government service, and leading officials should set an example, stressed the premier, who is also a member of the Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee Political Bureau, at a Beijing special training course on administrating by law attended by provincial government officials.

In his speech, Zhu quoted President Jiang Zemin as emphasizing that greater efforts should be made to improve the ways and methods of administration, to meet the demands of the new century.

To administrate by law is of great importance for implementing the strategy of governing the nation by law, he said.

The central government has been emphasizing that the functions of the government must be substantially shifted in order to build up a clean, diligent, pragmatic and efficient administrative body, said the premier.

When building a market economy, the old administrative methods used in the old planned economy must be abandoned, Zhu said, urging government at different levels to abide by the law of the market economy and work according to laws and regulations.

The functions of the government are, "administrating by law, strengthening supervision, and improving services," so as to create a sound, legal environment for economic development and social progress, according to the premier.

The premier blamed some governments officials for their law-breaking activities. Malfeasance must be brought to justice, he stressed.

(China Daily 06/07/2001)