Safeguard security, Xi urges

He tells judicial, law enforcement agencies to improve their capabilities

President Xi Jinping has urged all judicial and law enforcement agencies to improve their capabilities by innovating mechanisms and methods to better guard against and handle risks and challenges.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks in an instruction presented at a central conference on political and legal work in Beijing on Thursday.

Xi hailed the agencies' contributions to national security and social stability and praised the role they have played in social and economic development.

The president emphasized that 2017 will be an important year for the Party and the state, and he asked judicial and law enforcement agencies to make the protection of national political security, especially the security of the regime and system, their top priority.

Xi instructed the agencies to improve their prediction and early warning systems to ensure a safe and stable social environment for the 19th National Congress of the CPC, which is scheduled for the second half of the year.

Full commitment to judicial reform is needed so that the quality, efficiency and credibility of judicial services continue to improve, Xi said.

All Party committees must focus on security and stability, he said, adding that their work will help lead judicial and law enforcement development.

Xi's instructions were read out by Meng Jianzhu, head of the Commission for Political and Legal Affairs of the CPC Central Committee.

Conference participants stressed that judicial and law enforcement agencies should make the best of technology to ensure security and stability, and they should address problems at the source.

The agencies should strive to raise the credibility of the judicial system, make the public feel safer and more satisfied, and create a sound social and legal environment for the building of an all-around moderately prosperous society, participants said.