Liu Yunshan, head of the Publicity Department of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, said China must not waver when fighting piracy and pornography.

Addressing a national teleconference on campaigns against piracy and pornography, Liu said continuous efforts to crack down on piracy and pornography were highly significant in promoting advanced socialist culture.

The issue concerned social stability and the healthy development of young people, said Liu.

He said it was essential to recognize the extreme importance of cracking down on piracy and pornography from the viewpoint of protecting intellectual property rights, and facilitating sustained, coordinated development of the economy, politics and culture.

According to the conference, China should not be complacent despite making marked progress in the past 13 years against piracy and pornography.

Relentless crackdown on piracy and pornography in that time had raised awareness in Chinese society over protecting intellectual property rights, and curbed the rampant piracy activities on the Chinese mainland, the conference noted.

It concluded that a prosperous, healthy and orderly environment for the cultural sector had been created, yet the anti-piracy and pornography campaign was a long-term task, and its difficulty and complexity should not be underestimated.

The conference called on local governments to explore more effective ways to fight piracy and pornography.

Among those high-ranking officials attending the conference was Shi Zongyuan, director of the State Press and Publications Administration.

(Xinhua News Agency February 20, 2003)