URUMQI -- Chen Wenqing, a senior Communist Party of China (CPC) official, stressed the need of persisting in law-based crackdowns on violent and terrorist crimes and maintaining social stability in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region.

Chen, a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and head of the Commission for Political and Legal Affairs of the CPC Central Committee, made the remarks during an investigation and research tour in Xinjiang from Wednesday to Sunday.

Chen demanded the political and legal agencies in Xinjiang to put social stability as a top priority, refine long-term mechanisms against terrorism, improve prevention and control systems, and accurately prevent and combat violent and terrorist crimes.

He also instructed the agencies to exercise their duties in accordance with the law and strike a balance between maintaining law and order and releasing social vitality, and between maintaining stability and making things convenient to the people.

When visiting the staff of political and legal agencies working in border areas, he urged them to keep up fine conduct, faithfully fulfill their duties, and firmly fortify border security.