Chinese President Jiang Zemin called Beijing Sunday for major improvements in the country's family planning, resources management, and environmental protection in the new century.

Jiang, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, made the call at a work conference on population control, natural resources, and environmental protection.

"It is of major significance for the realization of our cross- century development goals to further improve family planning, resources management, and environmental protection," the Chinese leader said.

Other top Chinese leaders including Li Peng, Zhu Rongji, Li Ruihuan, Hu Jintao, Wei Jianxing, and Li Lanqing attended the meeting at the Great Hall of the People.

In his address, Jiang noted that the country will strive to bring the population under 1.4 billion by the year 2010, halt the deterioration of the environment and noticeably improve it, and enhance resources management.

"This represents an arduous and important task for the whole Party and the whole nation," the president said.

As the world's most populous developing nation, China is quite limited in its per capita natural resources. "We must always see population control, the preservation of resources, and environmental protection from a strategic point of view," Jiang said.

In the 21st century, China must continue to put great efforts into stabilizing the low birth rate, maintaining the rational use and strict management of resources, and protecting and improving the ecological environment, he said.

"Our success or failure will have a direct bearing on the country's economic and social security, the quality of the lives of the Chinese people, and the long-term development of the Chinese nation," the president noted.

Party committees and governments at all levels, as well as family planning and other departments, should fully realize the importance and formidability of the task, and make sustained efforts for the realization of the nation's cross-century development goals, Jiang noted.

In the new century, it is imperative that we earnestly carry out the Party and central government's decision on enhanced family planning and the stabilization of a low birth rate, Jiang said. Better coordinated efforts are needed, along with improved family planning management mechanisms suitable to the socialist market economy, Jiang said.

On environmental protection, the president stressed that continued efforts should be devoted to both pollution prevention and control, and ecological protection.

The overall discharge of pollutants should be further curtailed, and environmental protection in key polluted cities, river valleys, regions and sea areas should be further strengthened, Jiang said. As to resources management, Jiang noted that the country should implement the strictest rules and regulations, and continue to uphold the principle of "developing while protecting; protecting while developing."

He called on the nation to put more efforts into energy utilization efficiency, and to embark on a new path of economic growth.

In developing China's vast western region, it is also necessary to handle well the relationship between economic development and population control, and abide by the principle of the rational use of resources, Jiang noted.

The president stressed that in the new century, the country must strengthen rather than lessen its work in the areas of population, and resources and the environment.

Party committees and governments at all levels must vigorously strengthen and further improve leadership for this work and strive to achieve new progress.

It is necessary to implement practical measures and policies concerning population, resources and the environment when governments at all levels create blueprints for the next five-year plan, and long-term development targets, Jiang said.

Jiang also called on Party and government leading officials at all levels to implement ideas for sustainable development in their decision-makings, deal properly with the relationship between near- term and long-term development for both local and national interests, and base economic and social development on sound cycles of population, and resources and the environment.

It is also imperative to further improve laws and regulations concerning population, resources, and environment, the president said, adding that law-breakers should be punished according to law.

Following Jiang's address, Premier Zhu Rongji delivered a mobilization speech, urging governments at all levels to do a better job in family planning, and resources management and environmental protection.