Wu Yi Urges Legal, Efficient Customs Operations 　　State Councilor Wu Yi on January 27 demanded that Chinese customs offices act according to law and become more efficient in their daily work to help boost trade this year. 　　Chinese customs should strictly abide by laws and regulations, and take more vigorous actions to crack down on smuggling and maintain a sound trade order, she said at a national customs conference. 　　She called for new and efficient means to cut clearance costs and to serve exporters. 　　An outline for approving and opening new ports should be worked out as soon as possible in order to create a rational distribution of ports, she said. 　　She urged customs offices to improve management, avoid repetition, and simplify inspection procedures. 　　In addition, she praised customs offices for their work in anti-smuggling activities and tax collecting last year. She also asked the customs workers to consider the fight against smuggling a long-term task, and warned them against corruption. Economicnews 1999-01-28 Page2 Full Story in Chinese