Chinese Vice Premier Wang Qishan on Tuesday stressed the supply and quality of commodities ahead of the Spring Festival, which falls on January 26 this year.

Wang made the remarks during his inspection tour in Langfang City of north Hebei Province, where he visited shopping malls and agricultural product markets.

Wang called for efforts to enrich market supplies and meet people's demand. Local departments concerned should intensify monitoring to promptly discover and resolve problems that influenced the stability of market supply.

He also suggested governments grab the good opportunity of the festival shopping boom and boost local consumption.

Quality authorities should attach more importance to ensure the quality of commodities and food, he said, and efforts should be made to avoid major accidents caused by shabby products.

(Xinhua News Agency January 21, 2009)