Lessons must be learned from winter weather crisis: Hu

BEIJING—Chinese President Hu Jintao said on Wednesday China must draw a lesson from this year’s severe winter weather crisis and be on guard against similar risks.
Joining his fellow deputies to the National People’s Congress (NPC) from the eastern Jiangsu Province, Hu Jintao said the deep freeze and snow chaos that hit eastern, central and southern China starting in mid January rang an alarm. “The more advanced our society and economy, the more we have to be prepared for and be on guard against such risks,” he said. To be prepared for danger in times of safety would help China withstand trials, overcome hardships and record new victories in building a moderately prosperous society, said Hu.
The president said he “fully agreed” to Premier Wen Jiabao’s report delivered to the opening meeting of the First Session of the 11th NPC, and encouraged more efforts to seek fast and sound development. Other top Chinese leaders including Wu Bangguo, Jia Qinglin, Li Changchun and Xi Jinping also joined discussions of NPC delegations from Anhui, Beijing, Sichuan and Shanghai respectively. Meanwhile, President Hu Jintao thanked the U.S. people and government for their assistance during China’s recent deep freeze.
When meeting with visiting U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice here on Tuesday afternoon, Hu extended his sincere gratitude to the United States people and President George W. Bush.
He said the close contact between the leaders of the two countries, as well as the exchange of views on major issues of each other’s concern, were important to the development of bilateral relations.—Xinhua