China is demanding intensified efforts to preserve social order, state media says, ahead of the Beijing Olympics and commemorations of the start of political and economic reforms 30 years ago.
The Central Committee for Comprehensive Management of Social Security gave the order for March to September to eliminate conflicts, chaos and other activities concerning social order.
“We should make concerted efforts to properly resolve outstanding problems affecting social harmony and stability,” the People’s Daily, the mouthpiece of China’s ruling Communist Party, said in the brief report.
All levels of the Party and government must give priority to issues of order and “adopt practical and feasible measures and keep a firm grasp to achieve results”, it said.
China has been grappling with a rise in social unrest around the country, fuelled by anger at corruption and a widening gap between rich and poor, despite little tolerance among its leaders for dissent or threats to stability.
Adding to the government’s worries are the political protests it fears may mar the Beijing Olympics, set to open on August 8.
The Games have become a lightning rod for activists concerned with a range of issues, from human rights to religious freedom to the status of Tibet.
This year also marks the 30th anniversary of China’s “reform and opening up”, the start of its move away from a centrally planned economy and its opening to the outside world, an event that is to be marked with a series of high-profile commemorations.
