The National Popular Science Conference, jointly organized by the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee and Chinese Science Association, was held in Beijing on December 14 to 15.

Chinese President Jiang Zemin has recently reiterated that science and technology are crucial to China's economic and social development in a letter to the conference. Jiang said that in the next century countries will increasingly rely on science and technology to strengthen their national strength.

Effective measures should therefore be taken to improve science and culture in China as part of the socialist modernization drive in the 21st century, he said.

Jiang said that scientific knowledge helps people to have a correct outlook on life, take a correct world outlook, and inspire them to actively engage in social practices in a creative way. He said that popularizing science and technology is important in revitalizing the nation.

Jiang also urged government officials to take the lead in promoting science and equip themselves with the scientific competence to become scientific and economic experts.

He encouraged scientific and technological researchers to work hard to make more scientific innovations, blaze new trails in their research and actively participate in disseminating science and technology.

Speaking at the end of the two-day conference which focused on popularizing science and fighting against superstition, vice-premier Li Lanqing said that the fight against the evil Falun Gong cult this year is a struggle between promoting scientific knowledge and rooting out the pernicious influence of cults and educating the morally ignorant.

Popularizing science should be carried out across the nation to enlighten the people, especially farmers and the youngsters. In this way, Falun Gong and other evil cults will be eliminated once and for all, Li said.

Vice-premier Wen Jiabao also made a speech at the conference.