Zhao Yongji, vice-minister of public security, disclosed on Friday that during the campaign period, Chinese police discovered more than 10,000 cases of manufacturing and trading of fake currency and seized more than 13,800 criminal suspects.

Zhao said that the campaign, the biggest of its kind since 1949, has dealt a heavy blow to the criminals, protected the personal interests of the masses, safeguarded the credibility of the RMB currency, and played a positive role in ensuring social stability.

During the six-month period, police cracked 20 cases involving more than one million yuan in fake RMB currency each and 137 cases involving at least 100,000 in fake RMB currency each.

Jia Chunwang, minister of public security, also made a speech at the televised conference. He said that with the deepening of China's reform drive, various problems at various levels will gradually emerge as a result of the further adjustment of relationships between different interest groups in Chinese society.

The minister called on nationwide police units to be aware of the complicity of China's current social situation and pay great attention to work at the grassroot-level.

He stressed that Chinese police forces should continue the strike-hard campaign, especially in the fourth quarter of the year, which is usually an active period for various criminals.

Under the approval of the State Council, the nationwide crackdown on counterfeit money was jointly carried out by the Ministry of Public Security, the People's Bank of China, the Supreme People's Procuratorate, the Supreme People's Court, as well as the State Administration for Industry and Commerce.

(People's Daily 11/12/2000)