Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji has urged the country's customs officers to continue to crack down hard on smuggling so as to increase the country's tariff revenue and boost economic growth.
Addressing senior officers of the General Administration of Customs Friday afternoon, the premier called on them to improve their operations and managerial systems for law enforcement with the use of high technology, including information technology.
Zhu said it remains an arduous task for the officers to reach the goal of tariff revenue set earlier this year due to drastic drops in tariff rates, which China has promised as part of its obligations for membership of the World Trade Organization.
He also urged the officers to take all necessary measures to meet the target.
The premier stressed the need to maintain the high-profile crackdown on smuggling despite effective control of smuggling activities over the past two years.
Among the high-ranking officials accompanying the premier were Vice-Premier Li Lanqing and State Councilors Luo Gan, Wu Yi and Wang Zhongyu.
(People's Daily July 1, 2002)
