Chinese President Hu Jintao Friday called on Chinese youth and students to play a vanguard role in promoting the country's economic and social development.
   
Hu, also general secretary of the Central Committee of the ruling Chinese Communist Party, made the call during a meeting with some 1,900 members of the All-China Youth Federation (ACYF) and the All-China Students' Federation (ACSF), who are in Beijing to attend their national congresses that opened Friday.
   
The First Plenum of ACYF's 10th National Committee and ACSF's 24th National Congress are scheduled to draft the five-year work plan and elect the new leadership of two organizations.
   
The ACSF also invited two student delegations from Hong Kong and Macao to attend its meeting as visiting guests.

(Xinhua News Agency July 23, 2005)