Chinese President Jiang Zemin, in a speech to about 5,000 people, called on the country's millions of young people to prepare themselves for the task of turning China into a rich and powerful country by the middle of this century.

Jiang, also general secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), urged youth throughout the country to be idealistic, study hard, pay close attention to improving their ethics and be bold and enterprising innovators.

Party committees and governments at all levels should trust and attach greater importance to youth, to help train large numbers of young professionals and give full play to their talents.

Among other senior Chinese leaders present at the meeting were Li Peng, Zhu Rongji, Li Ruihuan, Hu Jintao, Wei Jianxing and Li Lanqing who are all members of the Standing Committee of the CPC Central Committee's Political Bureau. Hu Jintao presided over the meeting.

On the 80th anniversary of the Communist Youth League, Jiang described the league as a solid bridge linking the Party and young people.

He said that the league had contributed much to the country's revolutionary cause and development during the past eight decades.

The Communist Youth League, a leading youth organization in China, has been described as a school to teach youth about communism, and an assistant to and reserve force for the Communist Party of China (CPC).

Founded in 1922, the organization was first called the Socialist Youth League of China. In January 1925, it adopted the name of the Communist Youth League(CYL)of China.

(Xinhua News Agency May 16, 2002)