On December 14, 2018, the Anti-Counterfeit Currency Joint Conference of the State Council (hereinafter referred to as the Joint Conference) held its sixth meeting in Beijing. Governor Yi Gang, also convener of the Joint Conference, attended and addressed the meeting. Deputy Governor Fan Yifei delivered a work report. Responsible officials from the Ministry of Public Security and three other member institutions of the Joint Conference spoke at the meeting. Anti-counterfeiting efforts that had been carried out since the fifth meeting of the Joint Conference in 2013 were summarized, an in-depth analysis was made of the new situation, problems and challenges faced by current efforts, and anti-counterfeiting work to do in the new era was mapped out.
Yi Gang pointed out that over the 25 years since the Joint Conference was established, substantial progress has been made in anti-counterfeiting practice in terms of organization development, institution building and long-term orientation, so that criminal activities related to currency counterfeiting have been prevented and fought effectively. However, as there are still social, economic, cultural, legal and other factors in reality which provide breeding grounds for currency counterfeiting crimes, it is important that members of the Joint Conference enhance political stance, strengthen the “Four Consciousnesses”, solidify the “Four Confidences”, and fully recognize the significance of anti-counterfeiting efforts with a view to safeguarding national financial security, implementing people-centered philosophy of development and facilitating sound international economic exchange. Moreover, members should strengthen pragmatic collaboration, take innovative approaches, shift the focus of work downwards, step up efforts to explore and integrate anti-counterfeiting data, develop anti-counterfeiting “safe zones” in rural areas, and set up at the grassroots level a pattern of anti-counterfeiting governance by the people and for the people so as to bring relevant work to a new height.
Fan Yifei stressed that by following the guide of the Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, members of the Joint Conference as well as joint conferences at all levels need to increase comprehensively their abilities to solve new problems and meet new challenges, and perform their duties well in the new era with every effort. Work should be done to further improve the anti-counterfeiting responsibility system, be more pre-emptive in setting work priorities, and ensure that relevant measures are duly put into practice. The collaboration mechanism for fighting currency counterfeiting crimes should be reinforced while anti-counterfeiting laws and regulations should be improved. Banks should strengthen their lines of defence against counterfeit currency while a social-wide counterfeit prevention system should be built to heighten risk responsibility and awareness. Efforts should also be made to promote technological research and application so that counterfeit prevention can be enhanced technologically. International exchange and cooperation to combat currency counterfeiting should move ahead while cross-border efforts need to be more focused and effective.
Meng Qingfeng, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Public Security, Pei Xianding. full-time member of the Supreme People's Court judicial committee, Gu Shu, President of the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, and the representative from the Supreme People's Procuratorate shared their views and plans for anti-counterfeiting work in the new area in accordance with their respective duties. Public security departments will conduct in-depth strategic studies and continue cracking down on currency counterfeiting crimes. The people’s courts will fully play its role in criminal trials and ensure unified adjudication criteria. The people's procuratorates will strengthen legal oversight and ramp up supervision over the handling of major cases. Commercial banks will utilize information technology to enhance management and control of counterfeit currency.
Revisions to the roles and responsibilities of Joint Conference members as well as a breakdown of recent work priorities were reviewed at the meeting. Those with outstanding anti-counterfeiting performance over the years since the last meeting were commended.
Attendees included representatives from 26 member institutions such as the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee, the Legislative Affairs Commission of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, and the Supreme People's Procuratorate. Relevant officials from the Committee of Political and Legal Affairs of the CPC Central Committee and the General Office of the State Council were invited to attend the meeting. Also present were responsible persons from lead institutions of anti-counterfeit currency joint conferences of provinces, autonomous regions and centrally administered municipalities.
