The State Council, China's highest governing body, decided at its executive meeting here Wednesday to immediately organize safety supervision groups to conduct strict safety examinations across the country.  

The meeting, presided over by Premier Wen Jiabao, called on governments at all levels to pay great attention to safety problems, saying that the present safety situation in work and transport is very severe.

The meeting urged departments to conduct thorough investigations into the gas field blowout that occurred on Dec. 23 in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality and those responsible for the accident should be punished.

The meeting decided to organize safety supervision groups to inspect the implementation of safety measures in local regions, stressing that more efforts should be made in coal mining, the chemical industry, fireworks manufacturing, water and electricity supply and the transportation sector to prevent accidents.

The meeting also heard and approved a scheme on investment system reform, saying that the reform of the investment system was an important step to improve socialist market economic reform.

The meeting required further clarification of the responsibilities of the government, enterprises and financial institutions to help investment decision making.

More intermediary organizations with good credit should be cultivated in investment and the regulatory system should be improved to create a good environment for fair competition.

The meeting also heard and approved a draft anti-doping regulation. 

(Xinhua News Agency January 1, 2004)