国内英语新闻:Chinese premier visits blizzard-hit province to oversee rescue work

SHIJIAZHUANG, Nov. 12 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao went to the snow-ravaged Shijiazhuang City, capital of north China's Hebei Province, by train on Thursday afternoon to oversee relief work.

    In a work conference held while on the train from Beijing to Shijiazhuang, the Premier urged authorities to put people's livelihood as top priority when dealing with the snow and blizzards.

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao (R) speaks during a meeting held on the train as he travels to Shijiazhuang, capital of north China's Hebei Province, Nov. 12, 2009. Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao went to snow-ravaged Shijiazhuang on Thursday afternoon to oversee relief work.

Noting that China was in a critical phase to deal with the global financial crisis and the A/H1N1 influenza, Wen called for stepped-up efforts to mitigate negative impacts the blizzards imposed on people's lives.

    Authorities should ensure the supply of heating, gas, water, power and other necessities to the public, ease traffic jams in the cities, and strengthen monitoring and control over commodity prices in order to safeguard people's livelihood, he said.

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao (front) inspects the disaster situation at a border section between Hebei and Shanxi provinces on the Shijiazhuang-Taiyuan expressway, in north China's Hebei Province, Nov. 12, 2009

They must also ensure supply of coal, power and fuel for production purposes, he said, adding that regions that had not been affected by the snow and blizzards so far should also make preparations for possible bad weather.

    Local government should perfect their emergency plans in accordance with the changing weather conditions, and ensure proper implementation of the plans at grassroot levels.

    He urged relevant authorities to cooperate with each other and do a better job when making weather forecasts.

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao (L, front) shakes hands with a worker during his inspection in Xijiao Heating Co. Ltd. in Shijiazhuang, capital of north China's Hebei Province, Nov. 12, 2009.

Upon arrival in Shijiazhuang, Wen visited passengers in the waiting room of the city's railway station.

    He also went to a border section of the Shijiazhuang-Taiyuan expressway between Hebei and Shanxi provinces to visit stranded passengers on the Shijiazhuang-Taiyuan expressway and to inspect the disaster situation.

    The premier asked local authorities to provide food and water to the stranded passengers, and to make sure the expressway resume function as soon as possible.

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao gets on a stranded truck at a border section between Hebei and Shanxi provinces on the Shijiazhuang-Taiyuan expressway, in north China's Hebei Province, Nov. 12, 2009