Chinese Vice Premier Zeng Peiyan said on Sunday that China should optimize its construction standard system, which is vital to the quality and safety of projects.

Zeng made the remarks in a letter to the work meeting to specify a construction engineering standard held on Sunday in the western Chinese city of Chengdu.

"China has made remarkable progress in drawing up standard construction requirements in the past few years," said Zeng, adding the work had contributed to both urban and rural development.

In the past five years, China has sped up the standard formulation, and issued requirements in key areas such as energy conservation and emission reduction.

(Xinhua News Agency December 3, 2007)