CHINESE PRESIDENT URGES COAL MINES, PORTS TO SAFEGUARD SUPPLY.

BEIJING, Feb 1 Asia Pulse - Chinese President Hu Jintao on Thursday urged the safeguarding of the production and transport of coal for power generation, in light of the severe weather affecting much of the country.

Hu spoke during an inspection of coal fields in Datong in Shanxi Province and Qinhuangdao Port in Hebei province, through which much of Shanxi's coal is shipped.

Hu urged governmental officials accompanying him in his special plane to give priorities to people's needs and interests, noting the most urgent task at present is to to maintain normal order of transportation and power supply.

In footage shown on CCTV on Thursday evening, Hu entered a coalmine more than 400 metres underground, taking an elevator down to meet miners of the Datangtashan coal mine co-op in Datong who have worked overtime in temperatures of minus 20 degrees Celsius to increase supply.

He asked the miners to produce as much coal as they could safely to provide more fuel for generating electricity amid a nation-wide shortage.

"Disaster-hit areas need coal and the power plants need coal," Hu told administrators and workers of the mine, saying that coal supply had been a crucial part in fighting the snow disaster.

"I pay an early New Year [Chinese Lunar New Year] call here to those miners who will not go back home to celebrate the Spring Festival for the coal production," Hu said loudly to the miners who responded with new year greetings and applause.