BEIJING, Oct. 3 (UPI) -- Chinese President Hu Jintao called on government leaders to follow the scientific method in pursuing the country's social and economic development.
Hu made the remarks Sunday during a two-day inspection tour of the Tianjin Municipality at the start of the "golden week" holiday celebrating the founding of the PRC in October 1949.
Tianjin, a major port and economic hub in northern China, is one of four "super-cities" with the same political status as provinces. The municipality is in the middle of a severe water crisis.
In November 2003, the People's Daily quoted Tianjin officials predicting a 3.647 billion cubic meter of shortfall water in 2005. The shortage is expected to reach 4 billion cubic meters by 2015. The paper said Tianjin's per capita water resources were 160 cubic meters, a sixteenth of the national average and a fiftieth of the world average.
Xinhua's coverage of the Hu trip made no mention of the water crisis, stressing instead his meeting with people working during the weeklong holiday. He visited the city's busy Ping'an commercial street, shaking hands with shoppers and shopkeepers. He urged managers to enhance their sense of service and pay great attention to food safety.
While at the Fuyu Square residential district in Tianjin, Hu noted it was "one of the important components in building well-off society in an all-round way." China's president said, "Officials concerned should improve services, the environment, cultural conditions and social security work in residential communities."
Hu also inspected the Binhai New District encouraging workers to boost domestic innovation, create Chinese brand name products and contribute to the regional economy. The district includes the port, a national-level development hi-tech park, export processing zone and a bonded logistics area. It is also a base for petrochemical and metallurgy industries.
