Chongqing Party chief defends crime-crackdown campaign

(Ecns.cn)-- Chongqing Party chief Bo Xilai gave high praise on Friday to the local crime-crackdown movement and confirmed that the city will move forward with this campaign.

The crackdown on Chongqing's gangland is to create a more favorable environment for the residents and local businesses, said Bo, secretary of the Chongqing Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), while attending a Chongqing delegation's deliberation of the government work report, according to Xinhua.

"On this issue, shall we pretend to be deaf or shall we be responsible to the people? We chose the latter," Bo told a crowd of reporters after the panel discussion in the Q&A session. "We cannot make Chongqing 100 percent crime-proof, but we give 100 percent to our effort," he promised.

When asked about Wang Lijun, vice mayor and "crime-crackdown hero" who is currently under official investigation and is absent from the session of the National People's Congress (NPC)，Bo expressed his disappointment and admitted personal misjudgment of Wang. At the same time, he called for objective appraisal of certain of Wang's achievements.

According to the Hong Kong based Fenghuang TV station, Bo stressed that Wang was only one small part of the crime crackdown movement and the incident that led to his investigation was an isolated case. Therefore Wang's fate should be no reason to dismiss the campaign's success, Bo pointed out to attentive media. The Party chief nevertheless refused to reveal any detailed information concerning the ongoing investigation.

In conclusion, Bo ensured revolutionary- song singing would continue in the city.