A senior official of the Communist Party of China (CPC) on Monday urged grassroots Party committees in rural areas to constantly improve their work standards, and lead farmers in the building of a new socialist countryside.

He Guoqiang, member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, asked cadres in rural grassroots Party committees to adopt sincere, down-to-earth work styles, to adhere to the principle of serving the people and try their best to resolve issues which infringe on farmers' interests.

He, who heads the Organization Department of the CPC Central Committee, inspected Pinggu District, a suburb of Beijing, on Monday to be briefed on the progress of new countryside construction and grassroots Party committee construction.

He also visited families of some veteran CPC members and some destitute people during his tour.

Talking with CPC grassroots cadres, He said rural grassroots Party committees bear an important responsibility in guiding farmers to build a new socialist countryside.

He asked rural grassroots Party committees to push forward political, economic, cultural and social construction in rural areas and improve their own self-discipline in order to promote the construction of a new socialist countryside.

(Xinhua News Agency February 6, 2007)