During a meeting on the Three Gorges project concerning residents relocation on Sunday, Wu, also a Standing Committee member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, referred to the Three Gorges Project as the world's largest hydropower project, and said the relocation of residents from the reservoir area poses the greatest challenge to the on-going project.

He went on to say that the relocation of residents has proceeded well in recent years, thanks to a range of correct policies defined and clarified by the CPC Committee and the State Council, the tireless efforts made by local governments and their related departments in the area, as well as coordinated efforts of local inhabitants.

The displacement of locals for the second-phase construction has been finished in an all-round way, following the relocation of a total of 645,200 residents. Chongqing Municipality, the biggest of China's four municipalities under the direct leadership of the State Council, or the central government, in term of both population and area, completed its relocation task promptly by moving locals to 11 other provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities.

The work of successful relocation in the vast reservoir area is essential and the most critical, Wu acknowledged, because it helps to ensure that the biggest hydroelectric project on earth will be completed on time, it accelerates the economic growth of the reservoir area and it strengthens the natural disaster control and environmental protection capacity in the reservoir area.

(Xinhua News Agency January 19, 2003)