Army Has Cut Business Ties: CPC OfficialThe Chinese Communist Party Central Committee, the State Council and the Central Military Commission held a televised meeting Thursday in Beijing to sum up work done to stop the army, the armed police and law enforcement departments from doing non-military business.At the end of March, the work was basically completed and the goal realized, said Hu Jintao, member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and vice-chairman of the Century Military Commission. He spoke at the meeting. In July of 1998, the CPC Central Committee decided according to a suggestion by President Jiang Zemin that the three military and paramilitary departments could no longer be involved in business. Over the past two years, the work has proceeded smoothly and resulted in notable achievements, said Hu, also vice-president of the country. By the end of 1998, the army, armed police, and law enforcement offices had severed those ties. This move was a major step toward a clean Party and government. Hu spoke highly of the efforts made by the army, the armed forces, the law enforcement departments as well as localities that took over the businesses previously run by the three groups. If any army unit, armed police unit or law enforcement department is found involved in outside business, the people concerned, including officials, will be severely punished according to the rules, Hu noted. |
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