Capital to crack down on political rumors for Party congress

Beijing has announced a crackdown on harmful information or political rumors to pave the way for the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC), which opens on October 18, in Beijing.

“We should build a firm line of defense to eliminate all kinds of unstable factors,” Cai Qi, Secretary of the CPC Beijing Municipal Committee, said on Tuesday at a conference for the 19th National Congress of the CPC attended by Beijing officials, The Beijing News reported Wednesday.

We should also build a line of defense in cyberspace and crack down on political rumors and harmful information, Cai said, noting that the essential work of protecting the 19th CPC National Congress is to safeguard the security and stability of the capital city.

“We should be conscious of the importance of hard work and make a 120-percent effort to ensure the security and stability of Beijing and to create a good social environment for the national congress,” he said.

Cai also vowed to strengthen cooperation and control with nearby Tianjin and Hebei Province to maintain clear skies.

The commissions of health and family planning of Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei held a joint conference last week to establish a mechanism against a possible public health emergency during the national holiday and 19th CPC National Congress, the Beijing commission’s Weibo account announced on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, there are conferences on guarding social stability and security ahead of the 19th national Party congress taking place in other regions in China.

At one conference in Central China’s Hubei Province, the participants said they would do everything to enhance cyberspace management and to increase security checks and police patrols, Hubei Daily reported.

In Northeast China’s Jilin Province, security officials vowed to take forceful measures to make sure there will be no terrorist attacks, large mass incidents, or other incidents affecting “national political security,” Jilin Daily reported.